Star Wars Ep1: Shroud of the Dark Side
by Dakkaman777
Summary: A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far Far Away, Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Young Apprentice Anakin Skywalker are sent to the world of Alderaan to investigate strange disturbances in the vicinity, little do they know that the disturbances serve a great Evil, one that has returned after thousands of years. PREQUEL REDO, NO MIDICHLORIANS! PROPHECIES OR JARJAR!ALL LOVERS OF THE OT ARE WELCOME!
1. Chapter 1 - A Familiar Galaxy

**IMPORTANT INFO! DO NOT SKIP! READ THIS!**

 **Do I have your attention? Good, hello everyone I'm Dakkaman777 and in order to make sure people understand where I stand I will say this as clearly as I can put it….Ahem**

 **I Love Star Wars! I love it, the original trilogy were masterpieces of modern cinema and changed the way people view films forever. They were revolutionary films that changed my life when my older brothers showed me the theatrical cuts on video for the first time.**

 **Now this is simply a passion project as my love for the original trilogy burns like the brightest star and in my opinion the Prequels were not good (I have my reasons, if you wanna know what they are….I dunno, just watch Red Letter Media's Reviews) so this first chapter will be little more than a set up for what I want this story to be.**

 **A lot of the changes in Episode 1 here will be based a lot off of sources like Belated Medias 'what if they were good' series and Red Letter Media's reviews. Basically what I'm saying is if it wasn't mentioned or confirmed in the Theatrical version of the OT, I DO NOT consider it canon, so expect a bunch of new ideas and character (and a few characters used better).**

 **Now everyone….I present to you, what I think the Star Wars Prequels SHOULD have been…to the best of my ability.**

 **Dakkaman777 presents**

…

…

Tell me, young Luke. What brings you out this far?

…

This little droid

I think he's searching for his former master

But I've never seen such devotion in a droid before.

…

He claims to be the property of an Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Is he a relative of yours? Do you know what he's talking about?

…

…

Obi-Wan Kenobi?

…

Obi-Wan

Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time…a long time

…

I think my Uncle knows him, he said he was dead.

…

Oh he's not dead…not yet

…

Oh you know him?

…

Of course I know him…he's me.

I haven't come by the name of Obi-Wan since…oh before you were born.

…

Well, this droid does belong to you.

…

Don't ever seen to remember owning a Droid.

Very Interesting.

…

…

…

You fought in the Clone Wars?

..

Yes, I was once a Jedi Knight, the same as your father.

…

I wish I'd known him.

…

He was the best star pilot in the galaxy, and a cunning warrior. I understand you've become quite the pilot yourself?

…

Ani was a good friend.

…

…

…

How did my father die?

…

A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi knights. He betrayed and murdered your father. Now the Jedi are all but extinct. Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force.

…

…

The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.

…

…

I have something here for you. Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough, but your uncle wouldn't allow it. He feared you might follow old Obi-Wan on some damn fool idealistic crusade like your father did.

…

What is it?

…

Your father's light saber. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age. For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times... before the Empire.

…

…

The Force will be with you…. always.

…

 _ **A long time ago…**_

 _ **In a galaxy far far away…**_

 **STAR WARS!**

 **Shroud of the Dark Side**

 **The Old Republic has stood for over a thousand years as the figurehead of peace and order for the citizens of the known galaxy. Thanks to the Jedi Knights, an ancient order of peacekeepers charged with the protection of the Republic and the values it holds high.**

 **But the thousand generation reign of peace brought by the Republic is at unease, as a disturbance within the force alerts the Jedi that their long lasting peace is about to come to an end. Outer colonies of the Republic begin to go silent and cargo ships carrying vital supplies are missing without a trace.**

 **Little do the Jedi order know that the disturbances have been caused by an evil, once thought extinct by the wisest and oldest of their ranks. An Evil that has returned to wreak its vengeance upon the Republic that sought its destruction, thousands of years ago.**

A single shuttle cruised through the vast and empty void of space, the stars of the system twinkled like gemstones against the obsidian sheet of the infinite. The shuttle soared and sliced through the vacuum of space like a graceful bird of the skies as it made its way to its destination.

The planet Alderaan, a Jewel of peace and Hope in the Old Republic and home to the Royal Family of Alderaan.

Inside the cockpit of the shuttle two men sat at the controls, both men wore suits of skull white armour; the colours of the Republic. The pilot and co-pilot sat side by side in the cockpit while trying to bring the shuttle in close to the atmosphere of the planet.

"This is Shuttle Atlas, requesting permission to land, over" the pilot spoke into the comms.

The pilot was only greeted with utter silence in return, leaving the pilot to look at his co-pilot in confusion.

"Repeat, this is Shuttle Atlas, requesting permission to land, over" the Pilot repeated his earlier statement. The doors behind him shot open and out stepped a man with shoulder length dusty blonde hair and a very well-trimmed beard and moustache.

He wore somewhat very militaristic uniform that consisted of white armour plates covering his right shoulder, his shins, feet, forearms and hands. The uniform looked much like the tunic of a Medieval knight as it was made of a light tanned leathery materiel. On his right gauntlet was the red symbol of the republic; perfectly highlighted by the blood red against the skull white.

The armour was that of a Jedi Knight, each Jedi Master had a custom suit of armour, it didn't protect much from blaster fire, but it signified their rank as a Jedi, they were Knights after all. His suit covered all the areas of his body that wouldn't sacrifice the Jedi's flexibility or manoeuvrability.

"What's our situation?" the Jedi asked.

"We aren't getting any response from the surface, Master Kenobi" the pilot replied.

"It might be nothing; the transmitters could be faulty or damaged on the surface" the younger co-pilot replied.

Obi-Wan looked out to the planet and narrowed his eyes before stroking his moustache and grimacing. The pilots wondered what was going through the Jedi's head as he looked over the planet of Alderaan.

"I sense something out of place…. Take us down slowly, somewhere away from any heavily populated areas" Obi-Wan ordered the pilot.

"Any reason for that, Master Kenobi? We are on course for a meeting with the King" the Pilot replied.

"If something goes wrong in our landing we want to minimalize the chance of harming civilians" Obi-Wan explained.

"Very well, we'll set down near the forests to the east of the Royal Palace" the pilot agreed before inputting the coordinates to their new course.

"Very well, I'll inform Master Ranto" Obi-Wan said before walking back into the room he had come from.

Obi-Wan moved back into the main body of the ship where waiting for him was his Apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, sitting cross legged on a table in the nearest corner of the room while small objects levitated around him. Anakin was a teenager at the age of 17, his hair was a dirty blonde shade that hung near his shoulders, he wore a Jedi Uniform that looked very similar to his master's, only dark brown fabric instead of Obi-Wan's light tan. The armour of Anakin's uniform was shiny and new compared to the very worn and battered armour of his Master.

Obi-Wan smirked before leaning toward his young apprentice and inspected him, the look of concentration on the young Apprentice's face put a smile on Obi-Wan's face as it was obvious how hard it was for Anakin to do this. Even at this age, Anakin wasn't as powerful with the force as Obi-Wan was, at this point he was perhaps the fourth most powerful Jedi on the ship.

Though that never stopped his ever determined Apprentice from doing his very best, to levitate multiple objects around one's self was difficult for many Jedi of Anakin's age. Contrary to popular belief, the amount of concentration and willpower to control the force to this extent was substantial to say the least.

The force enhanced many things that made a Jedi a force (pun not intended) to be reckoned with, it could make a Jedi stronger, faster, more agile. It could make a Jedi sense the presence and feelings of living things around them, become more in tune with nature and all the living beings within it. Some Master Jedi were so powerful that they could sense everything around them within a solar system, of course this could only be done with the same intense concentration and skill, but it was a great blessing nonetheless.

Anakin's limits however were close to showing as a bead of sweat ran down his face, his look of concentration turning into a frown of pain as his breathing became audible. Obi-Wan smirked as his Apprentice showed his eager determination by trying to push past his limits, the objects; a cup, a thermal blaster clip, a blaster shield helmet and an assortment of spare parts that were lying around.

Obi-Wan smiled a conniving smile before he reached out his hand and waved it in front of Anakin's face in a back and forth motion.

No response.

…

'Perfect' Obi-Wan thought as he stepped back and held out his hand.

The table that Anakin was sat on slowly began to levitate into the air, as his master used the force to rise the table inch by inch, making sure not to alert his apprentice to what he was doing.

When Anakin was a good four feet in the air, Obi-Wan snickered before shouting "TURBULENCE!" and dropped his apprentice, who yelled in panic before crashing to the floor in a clutter of spare parts and furniture. Anakin instantly leapt to his feet and ignited his lightsabre, his hair mussed up and covering his face as if he just got out of bed.

Anakin's face however turned into a look of annoyance as the air was filled by the sounds of roaring laughter from Obi-Wan, who was leaning against the nearest wall with both arms crossed around his stomach.

"AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Keep up your concentration my young apprentice!" Obi-Wan laughed at the top of his lungs as tears began to form in his eyes.

"Very funny, Master" Anakin deadpanned as he put away his lightsabre.

"Oh please, Anakin! The look on your face was priceless!" Obi-Wan laughed as he slung an arm around Anakin's shoulder and began to lead him toward the tail section of the ship. Obi-Wan , though a demanding Master, was not a stick in the mud by any concerns, he cracked jokes, made pranks and enjoyed toying and teasing his apprentice.

"I wish you would take matters like this more seriously, Master. Turbulence in a vacuum isn't a joke" Anakin replied.

"Oh, your reaction made it funny" Obi-Wan chuckled.

"Master Ranto wouldn't find it funny" Anakin huffed the slightest bit, still sore over what his master had done.

"Well you can ask him yourself in a second" Obi-Wan smirked as he came to a section of the ship which housed the quarters of a Jedi of legendary skill. Before Obi-Wan and Anakin walked through the doors, Obi-Wan took his arm from around Anakin's shoulder and put on a very professional face and in an instant his mood changed from that of a joking friend to that of a serious Jedi warrior.

"Nervous?" Obi-Wan asked his young Apprentice.

"…well he IS a council member…should I be?" Anakin asked.

"Nerves are a natural response, don't worry, Master Ranto is a good man" Obi-Wan said with a smile before he opened the door and stepped inside with Anakin following close behind.

The room was defiantly spacious to say the least, the lighting was very dim and the walls were covered with decorative drapes and pieces of cloth of all colours and patterns. The only sources of light were a few blue flamed candles scattered around the room, which left an odour of light incense.

Sitting in the middle of the room with his back turned to the door, cross legged was a Human male, of brown skin and white curly hair tied in a braid that hung down his back. He wore a very intricate and ornate version of the uniform that Obi-Wan wore, only with the addition of a dark blue hooded cloak with gold accents.

Standing just a few feet away stood a female Zabrak with her arms crossed, she had pale white skin and long black hair that hung down her shoulders, she would have been easily been mistaken as a human if not for the horns protruding from her head. Her uniform was similar to Obi-Wan's in the regard that hers' had the same design, but was a deep shade of maroon as opposed to Obi-Wan's tan.

Her name was Xame and she was a Jedi Master around about Obi-Wan's age, give or take a couple of years. And even though she was a fully-fledged Jedi, she was also the apprentice of the man that Obi-Wan needed to speak to.

Obi-Wan stepped forward a few paces before he spoke aloud "Master Ranto, are we…disturbing you?" Obi-Wan asked.

The man slowly rose from his cross legged position and turned to the Jedi and his apprentice. The Jedi known as Master Ranto was a man in his late 70's with a short white goatee adorning his face. His calm smile and peaceful aura instantly made him recognisable as a Master of the Force, a Jedi Knight with decades of experience.

"Not at all Obi-Wan, I was just meditating while Xame here kept me company. I sense that you have something to tell me" Ranto replied in a sincere tone as he folded his hands in front of him.

"The surface isn't responding to any of our messages, he pilots think it is probably a slight malfunction in the transmitters but then again…" Obi-Wan began.

"You sensed a disturbance?" Xame nodded, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, you?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Of course, it's a strange day when a Jedi cannot sense the presence of life on a planet" Ranto said as he began to walk out of the room with Obi-Wan, Xame and Anakin closely following behind.

"Is it really that strange?" Anakin asked.

"Young Skywalker, most Master Jedi, including your Master, can sense life from amazing distances. To have a completely blank spot of a Lush planet such as Alderaan is unheard of, unless something has gone terribly wrong" Ranto continued as he made his way through the ship.

 ***************PUT LINE HRE********************

 ***Alderaan, unknown**

Meanwhile, standing on the balcony of a large facility surrounded by trees and woodland was a black cloaked figure who was leaning intently on the stone railings. With his eyes closed and his breathing slow and steady, he was almost concentrating with everything he had before he slowly chuckled to himself.

"It's been a while since I've felt a presence like that" the man chuckled before he turned, revealing his identity to any that would be watching. He was a male Zabrak with red skin, littered with black tattoos that adorned his face. His horns were sharp and devilish while his eyes shone a bright yellow that would unsettle the faint of heart.

The Zabrak's stature was that of a highly trained warrior, one who had seen countless battles, many victories and very few failures. The way he carried himself spoke yards about his confidence and primal nature. He wore black robes that fit his figure tightly, on his forearms and shins were black armoured gauntlets and greaves.

He was Darth Maul, a Lord of the once thought to be extinct Sith.

Maul could only cackle sinisterly to himself as he felt the four strong presences slowly descending from the upper atmosphere. The sound of footsteps slowly approaching could be heard from the tiling of the floors of the room behind him as four figures came into view.

Three of the figures were large imposing males at around 6-foot-tall, all dressed head to toe in black armour, holding blaster rifles to their chests. The men's faces were obscured by their armoured helms which were very symmetrical in design, the suits didn't look at all comfortable to wear.

The fourth figure was unmistakably female, a young Lethan Twi'lek of red skin, black tattoos and yellow eyes similar to those of the Zabrak. Although this Twi'lek's tattoos were not as extreme as Maul's they still had the illusion of making her seem more intimidating. She wore black robes like those of Maul, while her armour seemed to be more lightweight and more designed for style.

She was none other than Maul's Apprentice, her name was Darth Faye, as her beauty was as striking as Maul's Ferocity. As a Twi'lek it was no surprise that she was attractive, but her tattoos and very well trained Physique only added to her appeal.

"Master, the Jedi shuttle has hailed the capital. What are your orders?" the Female Twi'lek asked as she put a fist upon her chest.

"…blow them out of the sky…and send a squadron to the wreckage after the deed is done to make sure" Maul smirked as he crossed his hands behind his back.

"It will be done my Master" Faye replied as she stood to her feet and turned with the three large men following close behind her.

Maul smirked as looked up into the blue sky above him, waiting for the inevitable display that was soon to take place in the skies of Alderaan.

' _Today was going to be a good day'_ Maul thought to himself as he looked over to the distance where implanted into the ground were 8 massive sets of Anti-Air Blaster Cannons that began to whirr and power up.

The control panels of the shuttle began to go haywire as the alarm claxon of the ship began blaring loudly. Red lights lit up the cockpit and the Pilots began to panic, pressing controls and doing everything in their power to avoid a disaster.

The doors to the cockpit shot open and in rushed the Four Jedi, Obi-Wan rushing past Master Ranto and leaning over the shoulder of the pilot.

"What's wrong?" he asked with haste.

"Incoming fire! We are getting heavy energy readings approaching us from the planet!" the pilot rushed to say as a hail of blaster fire came into view.

"EVASIVE MANEUVERS!" Obi-Wan ordered the pilots that did their best to follow the Jedi's orders.

The shuttle may not have been streamlined or as agile as a Fighter but it did its best in avoiding many of the blaster bolts that zoomed and whizzed past the ship. Both pilots were panicking, the Co-Pilot in particular who was sweating bullets under the pressure of a real attack.

Obi-Wan, Anakin and Xame held onto the nearest thing to avoid being flung around the ship, yet Master Ranto stood completely still with a calm expression on his face.

"Master! Hold onto something!" Xame yelled.

"Don't fret, my dear. This isn't a first for me" Ranto said, remaining calm with his hands clasped in front of him.

The shuttle however wasn't doing so good as the closer to orbit it got, the closer the blaster fire got to tearing the hull to pieces, and this far up it could spell death for all six passengers. The pilots did everything in their power to avoid the blaster fire but unfortunately their luck ran out.

The Shuttle may have had deflector shielding and tough armour, but the size and power behind the blaster shots were so powerful that a direct hit to the main body of the ship would instantly destroy the Shuttle and all aboard it.

*KABOOOOOM!*

"The Left thruster is down!" the Co-Pilot shouted as he alarms sounded louder and louder.

"We're losing power! The deflector shield is down!" the Pilot yelled in panic as the red blasters only got closer and closer to destroying them.

"Just get us through the upper atmosphere!" Xame yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Easier said than done Maam" the pilot replied.

Suddenly, one particularly fast blaster bolt impacted upon the underside of the shuttle, sparks went flying, tech went haywire and the alarms kept getting louder and louder as the chaotic scene only got worse and worse.

"Dammit! The main reactor's been hit! We are losing power fa…"

*BZZZZKRACK!*

The control console in front of the main pilot suddenly exploded into flames making the pilot went limp as shards of glass and electronics exploded into his face. The Co-Pilot began to panic like all hell as he was left to pilot the ship by himself.

Another blaster bolt sped towards the ship, there was no way that the Co-Pilot could possibly avoid it in time without the help of the lead pilot. But just as the co-pilot thought they were done for, the ship veered to the left completely avoiding the blaster bolt. The Co-Pilot in complete shock twisted his head to the right, expecting to see the pilot pulling off a miracle.

Instead, he saw Anakin Skywalker, hotwiring the control panel like it was nothing and piloting the ship through the wiring of the smoking control console. To control a star ship was difficult enough, but to pilot a ship through raw wiring alone was downright amazing.

Then there was the fact that this Jedi Apprentice was doing this while avoiding heavy anti-air blasters designed to destroy fleets. This Jedi was something else, most expert pilots would blush at the skill that this mere lad of 17 possessed.

' _Are all Jedi this amazing?'_ the co-pilot thought.

"Averting all remaining power from sub generators to aviation systems in the left thruster!" Anakin announced as the left thruster flared up to full power.

"Anakin! Do you know what you are doing?!" Obi-Wan shouted over the sound of the alarms.

"Of course, Master. This is easy, as long as those blasters don't have rapid fire, we'll be fine" Anakin smiled as he continued to cross wires to control the ship. Then as if on cue the blaster fire got quicker and more intense as the bolts got thinner and more like regular blasters.

"Ah…. what do ya know? They have rapid fire" Anakin chuckled nervously.

"Just get us out of the fire!" Obi-Wan shouted as he held on tight.

"Easier said than done!" Anakin shouted over the alarms as he began crossing wires and circuits like a madman possessed by some sort of tech god.

The shuttle dodged and whizzed past the rapid fire of the blasters, avoiding many of the bolts with ease as only minor damage to the hull was sustained. The speed and skill behind Anakin's movements were something else, and to the co-pilot he seemed more than human.

That being said Anakin's skill with piloting and aviation circuitry wasn't all him, the abilities of force sensitive beings were very unique to all that possessed the ability to wield the force. The Force could do many things to an individual to make them great at certain professions, Anakin's sensitivity to the force allowed him to possess a flawless sense of direction which made him a natural flyer since the day he was born. He could control a ship through the wiring simply because he knew shuttle's like this one like the back of his hand.

"Alright, Good news is we're out of the blaster fire" Anakin announced as the red blaster bolts disappeared from sight.

"And…. the bad news?" Obi-Wan asked, dreading the answer.

"We're rapidly falling through the atmosphere and our left thruster isn't working" Anakin scratched the back of his head nervously.

"…. oh no" Obi-Wan muttered as the alarms became unbearably loud, and the flashing red lights were permanently illuminating the cockpit.

The shuttle spiralled out of control through the atmosphere, gaining heat as the hull went bright orange, near melting as the ship descended to Alderaan. Anakin did his best to hold onto the control console while avoiding falling back onto the body of the presumably unconscious pilot while the Co-Pilot panicked like he had never panicked before.

Obi-Wan held onto the side of the cockpit as tightly as he could while Xame did her best to not lose her grip and balance. However, Master Ranto was staying calm and stood in place with his eyes gently shut, as if concentrating on something intently.

The shuttle descending down through the layers of the atmosphere, leaving broken pieces of the wings and hull panels trailing behind it. Dense woodland came into view, and no armoured hull or deflector shield in the universe could stop the certain destruction of the ship that was approaching.

Obi-Wan and Xame exchanged a look of worry before they both closed their eyes tightly.

Anakin's short life flashed before his eyes.

And the Co-Pilot regretted every volunteering to escort the Jedi on this mission.

Then literally as the ship was about to crash, Master Ranto held out his hand in a closed fist and sharply opened it.

The ship screeched to a halt in mid-air, all the inhabitants of the ship could scarcely believe what had happened as they opened their eyes to see the grassy ground outside the cockpit. Ranto smiled as he did a few short hand motions, the shuttle manoeuvred around to his will to land as if there were no trouble.

"Is everyone alright?" Ranto asked as he opened his eyes and smiled caringly to the others.

Anakin's heart pounded like a jackhammer as he dropped his behind to the floor and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Xame, how is the pilot?" Obi-Wan asked as the female Zabrak checked on the pilot and his pulse before turning to her fellow Jedi.

"…He's dead, the console must have killed him instantly" she replied sadly. Obi-Wan put his hand gently on her shoulder.

"He is one with the Force now, there is nothing else we can do" the Jedi said gently gripping her shoulder before he turned his attention to the Co-Pilot.

"Are you alright?" the Jedi asked.

"Yeah…I…I guess….am I alive?" the Co-Pilot asked, gripping his chest.

"You seem like it" Obi-Wan smiled at him.

"We had best get moving, whoever shot at us most likely won't be glad we are alive" Xame said as she stood up and helped Anakin to his feet.

"You think?" Anakin snidely commented, earning himself a flick to the ear from the Zabrak who smiled at the young boy wincing. Xame may have been a Jedi and a master of keeping her emotions under control, but no one liked a Smart ass.

"What's your name Lad?" Obi-Wan asked the Co-Pilot, who took his helmet off, revealing a young human boy with brown shoulder length hair.

"Owen…Owen Lars" he replied, his hands still shaking a bit from the ordeal. The boy was a simple co-pilot; he didn't have nerves of steel like a Jedi.

Master Ranto observed the wreckage from outside with his hands crossed in front of him, Xame and Anakin were occupied with salvaging whatever they could from the smouldering heap that used to be a Shuttle. It would be hard to believe that the five of them made it out alive with the condition the ship was in; pieces of the hull had been torn off or beaten down, the main generator was blown to smithereens, all three wings were broken off and both thrusters had been rendered completely useless.

It was a good thing that a master of the force like Master Ranto was there, or they would have been dead.

Ranto however was more interested with the piloting skills of Obi-Wan's apprentice, doing what Anakin did was no easy feat even for a Jedi. Ranto felt many things from the young Skywalker, a myriad of emotions and a particular strength of the force that was very hard to come by.

Ranto smiled, he could expect great things from this young Apprentice.

 **Oooooookay! Whoa, first chapter is always the hardest if I do say so myself! And OMG, only a week until Force Awakens, the hype is real guys…. the hype is real!**

 **Also, I wanted to clear up some stuff about this story before any of you start saying 'actually in the prequels, this happens' these are different stories and here are some things you should know:**

 **There is no 'Prophecy' involved, the very concept of a prophecy just rubs me the wrong way, especially when it's for a character like Anakin/Vader who was never this big important thing to begin with.**

 **No 'Jedi can't love' it's stupid and kills the emotion of a character, that and it simply makes no sense.**

 **The 'Rule of Two' does not exist, yet another thing that rubs me the wrong way.**

 **If you have any questions/requests or issues please PM me, but please no Flames for god's sake, I have enough on my mind as it is. And for all you Star Wars fans, please leave your thoughts in the form of a review, this includes what you liked, what you didn't, what you want to see etc.**

 **And as always people I will leave you with a fun little question to ponder on (a Dakkaman777 speciality)**

 **What is it you want to see the most in Force Awakens?**

 **Until next time, may the force be with you :)**


	2. Chapter 2 - A Friendly Chat

**Hi again everyone! Dakkaman777 here with another chapter of Star Wars Shroud of the Dark Side, now a few things I want everyone to know:**

 **Everyone who wants to see another great Prequel Redo, check out Aspiringactor's Star Wars 'the Malevolent Darkness' trust me it's a great read :)**

 **And before you all ask, yes I have seen Force Awakens, what are my thoughts on it? Well…. thank god there are 4 good Star Wars films now XD and thank god it doesn't get in the way of what I wanted from this story in the first place as it barely mentions the prequels at all.**

 **Now…. onto the awesome.**

 **(UPDATE 09/02/2016) Thanks to SnarkyBacterium for pointing out a bunch of my errors in grammar and spelling, I hate it when my writing is full of errors. cheers for the help mate :)**

 **Chapter 2**

Smoke billowed into the pure blue skies of Alderaan as the wreckage of the Jedi shuttle continued to give off fumes. The thrusters of the once graceful shuttle billowed smoke and black gas into the once pure air, but then again it was not the foulest smelling thing around.

A squad of at least 10 men covered head to toe in black armour scoured the area, trying to find traces of their quarry. All the men were the exact same height of 6 feet, which was very disturbing to think on, and all were heavily armed with a blaster pistol at their hip, a baton like weapon strapped to the packs they were wearing on their backs and a Blaster rifle in both hands.

Whoever these men were, they were not friendly and most likely were not normal men, especially by the animalistic way some of them seemed to crouch down to all fours and sniff around for a scent like a bloodhound.

The others threw pieces of the ship's wreckage around, displaying their strength by throwing the industrial strength Hull pieces around like they were nothing. Snarling and sniffing were the loudest noises besides the burning wreckage.

One of the black armoured individuals had a red shoulder cape, signifying his higher rank whatever it may be. He looked over the wreckage with his arms crossed and barked order to his men in a deep growling, guttural voice that wasn't pleasant on the ears.

Uncover every scrap you can! Find the scum! Find them! he growled in an alien language that could only be described as an abomination of sound, his helmet didn't help his voice as it added a synthetic muffle to his voice.

Another of the black armoured individuals came out of the wreckage, dragging the corpse of the pilot, his helmet all but fused to his face from that explosion that caused his death. The leader of the men stepped forward and began to inspect the body, trying to find anything they could use to track the others.

The ones on all fours snorted and sniffed their way around the wreckage of the ship, but all chances of finding a scent were impossible when the air was being savaged by the smell of fire, smoke and burning star ship fuel. Any scents that would have been left behind would have been overpowered by the strong scents of burning in the area.

The men on all fours gave up on trying to find a scent when they realized it was hopeless, but one of the others near the outcropping of the trees was rustling around in the grass on one knee. His hand rustled the grass out of the way to reveal a boot print in the ground, a snort of a chuckle could be heard behind the face plate of his helmet.

the one with the red shoulder cape approached the one that had found the foot prints and even behind his helmet you could tell he was grinning like a maniac. He reached into his belt and took out a small disc device and held it in front of him.

A small blue hologram appeared out of the device, the hologram being that of Darth Faye and her master, Darth Maul. Maul had his arms crossed in front of him, an expecting look plastered on his face, while Faye seemed much calmer and much more composed.

"Have you found them, Sergeant?" Maul asked.

The sergeant replied in basic, but his accent and tone of voice made it nearly impossible to understand a word of what he was saying, even Wookiee's could speak better basic than whatever the Sergeant was.

"Please, spare me the ordeal of trying to listen to you speak basic. Speak in your own tongue, Sergeant." Maul said with his eyes closed in discomfort.

"Yes, My Lord, forgive me. We have scoured the area, but have only found a set of foot prints heading towards the capital…should we pursue them?" the Sergeant replied in his gravely alien tongue.

"Yes, ride them down on speeders, leave none of them alive." Maul replied with a gruff tone.

"It will be done my lord. And what of the witnesses?" the sergeant asked after he beat a fist against his chest.

"Witnesses?" Faye asked.

"A few Alderaanians, probably Farmers or hunters, they were snooping around the site before we got here" the sergeant replied.

"Have they seen you?" Maul asked with his arms crossed.

"We have captured them sir, they have indeed seen us." the sergeant replied.

"...There were no witnesses." Maul replied blandly, as if their lives didn't matter.

"Master, they've done nothing wrong, they don't need to die." Faye told her master.

"They've seen the troops, they know too much already, we cannot jeopardize the mission." Maul replied with a glare before he turned his head back to the Sergeant.

"Like I said….there were no witnesses." Maul told the Sergeant firmly.

"It will be done, My Lord" the sergeant replied as he turned off the hologram projector and placed it back in his belt.

The sergeant walked over to where three of his men were keeping 4 Alderaanians guarded at gunpoint, their blaster rifles training on their heads the entire time. The 4 young men were obviously terrified at the sight of these intimidating figures standing tall in their pure black armour and unsettling visages.

"Please, we were just trying to help anyone that got caught in the crash, just let us go." the oldest of the citizens pleaded, a young man around his thirties.

The Sergeant however completely ignored the man's pleads and immediately drew his blaster pistol and pointed it between his eyes. A flash of red and a high pitched screech filed the air and a second later the man fell to the floor, stone dead.

The sergeant gestured to the other men who were beyond terrified at this point, and the black armoured troops aimed their rifles and pulled the triggers.

* * *

"Master, you didn't need to kill them." Faye said as she turned to her master. She didn't take joy in the killing of innocents when it didn't benefit them at all, those men were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"They would have alerted the Capital of Jedi's presence and in turn, our Presence. They had to die for the plan to work." Maul replied with his arms crossed.

"But Master, they were innocent." Faye replied, obviously distressed with her Master's actions. Maul however was amused with his young learner, she had not seen much of the world as he did, her childish naiveté would soon fade away with time, he remembered when he was a foolish child.

The Sith did not have a place for a weak heart.

"He would have simply been another casualty in the long run, better to kill him know rather than delay the inevitable." Maul said blandly as he turned and began to walk out of the room.

"But killing innocent Civilians?!" Faye near shouted, stopping her master in his tracks.

"Do I sense doubt in your tone?" Maul asked without even looking at his apprentice.

Faye lowered her gaze in shame at her outburst, her Master deserved respect, she had not followed him this far only to disgrace him with the same outburst that a spoiler child would give their parents. He was her master, he had done so much for her, taught her so much, he deserved her resect and compliance.

She instantly dropped to one knee and kept her head bowed.

"Forgive me, Master. I did not mean to speak in that manner." Faye spoke softly, hoping her master would be in a forgiving mood.

Maul only smirked as he walked over to the red Twi'Lek and put a gauntleted hand on her head.

"Emotions give a Sith their power…but they can also lead you astray if you cannot control them. You are Young and inexperienced….soon you will understand why I do this." Maul spoke in a kind tone that no one would expect from such a viscous looking individual.

"Now come, Young one. The General will be arriving soon." Maul said as he gestured for Faye to stand back up. She did as was told of her without question and began to follow her master out of the room.

"Must we see him, Master? That….thing…it…"

"Scares you?" Maul finished her sentence for her, Faye only nodded.

"Yes…he has that effect." Maul finished as they left the room.

* * *

The landscape of Alderaan was both vast and beautiful to out-landers and natives alike, the snow-capped mountains, the lush fields of grass, the dense and beautiful forests and most of all the silver citadel of the royal palace of Alderaan, home to the royal family and the centre of all trade for most of the known universe.

The shimmering city shone brightly in the light of the sun in the distance as the Jedi and their co-pilot companion walked through the grassy plains towards their destination.

Owen was still quite shaken up by the recent events that had taken place, it wasn't every day that a simple pilot in training would survive a horrible crash and have to accompany four Jedi on their mission. Anakin, being the one closest to Owen's age, was trying his best to explain their mission to him, a mission that seemed simple at first, but was growing more and more dangerous with every passing moment.

"…Master Ranto is one of the leading members of the Jedi Council, it's his mission to make contact with the King of Alderaan and find out what is happening with the disappearing cargo ships in the vicinity, we are simply his escorts." Anakin explained to Owen who listened intently.

"So, do any of you know why the Alderaanians shot at us from orbit?" Owen asked.

"It wasn't the Alderaanians." Xame replied immediately.

"The People of Alderaan haven't practised warfare in thousands of years, having anti-air artillery for them is as likely as the force being a microscopic organism." Obi-Wan explained, the Alderaanians would never employ weapons of war like blaster cannons even at the worst of times.

"So, who do you think shot at us?" Owen asked.

"Bounty Hunters?" Anakin suggested.

"Using Heavy artillery? Very unlikely." Obi-Wan replied.

"A Crime Syndicate like the Hutts, the Alderaanians arrest plenty of their smugglers on a daily basis." Anakin yet again suggested, running through the options.

"The Hutts would never risk attracting attention by attacking a major world like Alderaan, they may be criminals but they aren't stupid." Xame replied.

"It could have been the Trade Federation or the Techno Union, they have been at odds with King Organa for years." Owen chipped in a suggestion.

"The Trade Federation and Techno Union have nothing to gain by attacking Alderaan, simple Trade disputes never result in a planetary invasion. And even not to mention that Neither one of them can hide themselves from a Jedi…there is only one thing that can dull the Sensory abilities of a Jedi…" Ranto spoke from the front, his hand crossed behind his back.

"Master, you can't mean…but they've been extinct for a thousand years." Xame asked her master in disbelief.

"The one thing that can hide itself from a Jedi….is a Sith." Ranto said, with that last word, silence filled the air, the very word 'Sith' silenced all three Jedi and the Young man alike.

"…A…Sith?" Owen asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"The Knights of the Dark side, they've had many names as the eons have passed, but at their core they have remained the same." Ranto continued as he walked.

"That's impossible, the Sith have been extinct for a thousand years." Anakin questioned, a Sith being alive now would be borderline impossible, force users may have been powerful but they were far from immortal.

"Not entirely impossible, Anakin. Some of the great Jedi masters have been known to live absurdly long lives, Obi-Wan and Master Ranto's master for example." Xame smiled at the apprentice.

"I know that, but the Sith were literally wiped out, as in killed…dead." Anakin replied.

"We don't know enough on the situation to assume that it's a Sith." Obi-Wan told his companions.

"There aren't many beings that could block themselves from a Jedi, yet alone a Master like you Master Ranto, what else could it be?" Xame replied, her reverence for her Master showing in her tone of voice.

Xame had been Ranto's apprentice since she could remember, and as was the case for many Jedi she trusted every word her master uttered. In her eyes, he was the father she never had, even though they were of a different species. In her training, Ranto was kind, caring, compassionate and wise, he didn't just teach her to be a Jedi, but to be an individual, to embrace her feelings but never let them control her.

So when Ranto had an opinion on something, it was almost a certainty that Xame would agree with him.

"Ok, I am completely lost. What are the Sith?" Owen whispered as he leaned to Anakin.

"Imagine Jedi, only evil." Anakin whispered back, his still simple view of the force bleeding through his words.

"Be that as it may, no matter who it was blocking our view of the force, there is a fact that someone on this planet wants us dead. So it would be a smart move to get to the palace as soon as possible." Obi-Wan replied to Xame who smirked at him knowingly as a tree line came into view.

"Just past these woods is the palace, we should be there within the day." Ranto said as the dense forests of Alderaan came into view.

Despite being a technologically advanced world, Alderaan was mainly comprised of vast mountain ranges, dense forests and lush fields of grass, all around it was a beautiful world. Especially since the Alderaanians hadn't practised war in thousands of years, thus giving the planet plenty of time to flourish and become a beacon of peace and beauty in the old republic.

Ranto smiled at the beauty of the surrounding area, taking a lungful of the fresh, clean air as he did. It was when a Jedi stood on the soil of such a rich, fertile and peaceful planet that a Jedi was at his strongest, the force was created by life itself, so a planet full of life like Alderaan would make an elderly Jedi like him feel like he was young again.

But there was something very wrong, he had been to Alderaan numerous times in his life, he had felt the force flow through this planet like water through a river and every time it filled him with peace and serenity.

But now…. there was something wrong…the planet felt polluted.

Ranto's eyes shot wide open and he quickly turned around, his white braid swinging as he did so. Obi-Wan and Xame were shocked at Ranto's reaction and seconds later they both felt the disturbance itself.

There was something chasing them, and it was gaining, close.

"Anakin! Owen! To the tree line!" Obi-Wan yelled orders to his Apprentice and the young Co-Pilot, the latter of which raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"NOW!" Xame shouted at the top of her lungs.

Anakin didn't need to be told twice and grabbed Owen's arm, dragging him along as the two boys began sprinting at full speed towards the treeline in sight. Obi-Wan and Xame began to run behind the two young boys, they were the ones in the most danger after all.

And no matter how many times she saw it, Xame could never get over how fast her master could run at times, his skill with the force flowed through him as much as his blood did, granting him the physical abilities of a man half his age.

Obi-Wan wished he would be as lively at Ranto's age.

Anakin and Owen while still confused at why they were running immediately understood why they were running as a high pitched wailing sound could be heard closely approaching at a rapid pace.

The tell-tale sound of a speeder bike.

Now Anakin understood why they were running into the trees, Speeders were fast, but their weakness was in manoeuvrability in dense areas like that of a forest.

What happened next was terrifying, red blaster bolts began to impact upon the trees and ground around them.

These weren't ordinary speeders!

"Spread out! We'll be harder to hit!" Xame shouted as the other immediately obeyed and scattered around the trees in an attempt to avoid being shot down.

"Owen, stay close to me!" Anakin shouted as the young Co-Pilot followed him, running for his life.

The two young boys ran as if their lives depended on it (which they did) and just as they thought they were home free, a red blaster bolt struck a tree in front of them, causing the large trunk of wood to collapse in front of them, blocking their escape.

Anakin could have easily jumped over the massive trunk, but Owen couldn't, to escape would mean abandoning the young boy to what could be certain death. Anakin couldn't levitate the tree with the force, he didn't have the strength or the time necessary to do it.

Anakin turned to see a contingent of Speeder bikes come into view, slowing down as they passed the treeline in order to avoid crashing face first into a tree.

"Owen stay behind me!" Anakin ordered the young man whom offered no objections to the young Jedi.

The closest Speeder fired bolt after bolt of blaster fire at the young Jedi, who in the blink of an eye ignited his lightsabre in both hands and deflected every bolt sent at him with skill and grace worthy of a Jedi.

But deflecting such high velocity bolts was very tiring for the young Jedi, he couldn't keep this up forever as the Speeders approached like Rancors with a stomach ache.

Sweat began to run down Anakin's brow as the onslaught only grew, but just as he fell to one knee and thought himself done for.

Xame leaped in front of the young Skywalker and ignited her green bladed lightsabre and began deflecting the bolts with all the skill and grace of a master Jedi. Anakin and to a greater extent Owen sat there with their mouths agape at the movements of the Female Zabrak which flowed like liquid around the bolts that threatened death.

Xame however didn't stay on the defensive for long as she began to walk towards the speeder, still deflecting and blocking bolts as she did, her walk turned into a brisk walk which in turn turned into a slow run.

Just as the speeder came within a few feet of her, the Zabrak span to the right of the speeder and in the blink of an eye and a swing of her sabre, she lopped off the front section of the vehicle, sending the black armoured driver flying off the seat and crashing to the ground with a loud bone breaking thud.

The next closest speeder came zooming in at full speed, as if it was going to ram into Xame. But all of a sudden the speeder screeched dead in its tracks, sending the driver flying just as high as the last driver, except this one was sent face first into a tree.

*CRACK!*

Anakin and Owen winced at the sound of the driver's back breaking in half as he slammed into the tree trunk.

Obi-Wan smirked as he released the now empty speeder from his grip, allowing it to drop to the floor now that no one was behind the controls. The Jedi Master turned quickly to see the other Speeders approaching.

There were 7 in total, including the 2 unfortunates that he and Xame just dispatched.

"I suppose running wasn't as viable as an option as we thought." Xame sighed as she flourished her saber and got into good stance.

"Let's try and keep at least one of them alive, they may be the ones who fired at us from orbit." Obi-Wan agreed as he unclipped his lightsabre from his belt yet didn't ignite it.

The speeders zoomed forwards, unloading red blaster bolts as they sped forward.

Xame deflected any bolts sent her way while Obi-Wan side stepped and weaved around the bolts as if he could sense where their trajectory was before they were even fired. Obi-Wan's agility and reflexes were truly a sight to behold as Anakin and Owen simply stood there in total awe at the skills of the two Jedi.

Once the speeders where within a yard of the Jedi, they screeched to a halt. Two of the speeders kept their fire up in an attempt to keep the female Zabrak and male Human busy while the other three dismounted their speeders and unsheathed their batons from their backs and with a flick of their wrists, were extended to a few inches short of a Lightsaber's length.

The batons however had been electrified and buzzed and cracked with the high power energy behind them. There was a slight chance that those batons could easily withstand a Lightsaber blow with them being drenched in electrical energy.

Obi-Wan focused on the three making their way towards him, he could already tell that the one with the red shoulder cape was the leader from his attire and the way he held himself.

The three charged full speed at Obi-Wan with their Batons bared, flickering and buzzing with electrical energy, and their movements carried by what seemed like a hell of a lot of physical strength.

Obi-Wan held his still inactive lightsabre in front of his face in both hands like a salute to his opponents that ran towards him.

The Sergeant lunged at Obi-Wan with his Baton, in the blink of an eye Obi-Wan's lightsabre ignited into a bright Sapphire blue and the two weapons clashed with a hail of sparks. Obi-Wan grimaced at the brute strength behind the attack, this guy was not human if he had this kind of raw Physical power behind his strikes.

"Jedi! You die now!" the sergeant growled in basic. Obi-Wan knew many languages, being a Jedi of his skill and experience he was a linguist of sorts….and even then it was hard to understand the Sergeant's words. His voice sounded as if he had drunk battery acid and rubbed his vocal chords with sand paper, the gurgled, growly words sounded as if they were vomited up by a dying Hutt.

Obi-Wan however didn't rely on brute strength, a Jedi was more than muscle, the force fuelled his movements, made him move like water through a stream, constantly a step ahead of his opponent. However, it seemed like the Sergeant had prior combat training as he obviously understood basic swordsmanship, when the other two black armoured troops attacked it made the fight a lot more challenging on Obi-Wan's part.

Fighting three individuals with basic combat skills would have been easy, that is if they didn't have the inhuman physical strength that these men possessed.

Obi-Wan's concentration was split between the three men attacking him with those electrified batons. Wielded by a normal man, those batons would probably stun at best while hurt a lot, but with the strength that the black armoured men possessed…it would probably snap limbs in half like twigs.

Xame however, while not as skilled as Obi-Wan was trying her best to deflect the blaster bolts shot at her by the two remaining speeders. Her primary concern was making sure none of the bolts hit Anakin or Owen.

Owen watched as the Jedi fought off their black armoured opponents, after seeing the display of Master Ranto's power it was no surprise that Obi-Wan and Xame would be this skilled.

"…Ugh….Ugh….Jedi!" a gravely and grotesque growl came from behind Owen.

The young Co-Pilot turned and was horrified to see the lumbering form of the black armoured troop that had been thrown from his speeder earlier, still alive and angry from the young of his voice and the way he clutched his electrified baton.

"Anakin!" Owen shouted, gaining the young Apprentice's attention as the brute lunged at him like a predator, snarling as it bared its baton.

Anakin blocked the blow with his lightsabre, but unlike his Master, Anakin neither had the strength nor the proper concentration to fend off such a hulking wall of muscle.

With every blow that the brute sent his way, Anakin's stance faltered and it wasn't long until he was forced staggering to the ground. With one more brutal blow, Anakin's lightsabre was sent flying out of his hands, leaving his completely unarmed. The black armoured brute stood menacingly over the young Apprentice, and held its Baton high over its head. One swing was all the brute needed to snap the young Jedi's neck if not crush his skull with the force behind the blow.

*BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

However, the brute did not expect Owen to pull a small Blaster pistol on him, and fire a few rounds into his chest. The brute looked down to see three scorch marks deeply imbedded into his thick black chest plate, smoke emitting from the burnt flesh of his chest.

Owen's blaster was a very small and compact model and it did its best to penetrate armour as thick as that. It would take a blaster rifle at the very least fully penetrate all the way through the brute.

That was the problem with Blasters, if they barely made it through the armour, they were next to useless.

"Grrrrrr….You…..Little!" the brute growled as black blood began to leak from its wounds.

Owen in a state of fear aimed his blaster as carefully as he could in a situation like this and fired off a few more shots.

*BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

One bolt harmlessly bounced off a dense shoulder plate

Another missed entirely

But Owen got lucky on the third as it hit the brute in the throat, burning right through the thin mesh armour and straight through his throat. The brute dropped his baton and both hands reached up to his neck in a desperate attempt to lessen the pain that shot through the creature as it stumbled towards Owen.

But just as the Brute reached out to Owen with a gauntleted hand, a blue blade sliced through its back and emerged through its chest with a sizzle as flesh and armour were cauterized together by the heat of Anakin's saber.

The brute turned its head to Anakin, and a pained snarl could be heard reverberating through the synthetic filter of its helmet. With one jerk, it slammed its elbow into Anakin's face, blood gushed from his nose as he was lucky that the strength behind the blow was weakened significantly.

Anakin fell back, trying his best to stop the bleeding as well as deal with the pain of getting hit with the force of a Jackhammer. All Jedi could protect themselves Physically with the force to some extent, but Anakin was a trainee with barely any real experience.

But just as the growling Brute looked like he was going to finish Anakin off, with the still ignited Saber in his hand.

This Black armoured creature had to have a strong pain tolerance to yank a Lightsabre from its chest and not keel over from the pain of a hole being burned into its chest.

But just as the creature raised Anakin's saber above his head, it was sent flying like a ragdoll into a tree where the trunk snapped its back in half like a twig. Anakin's saber deactivated and fell to the floor as the creature was killed instantly.

Anakin jerked his head to see his saviour.

Standing there was Master Ranto, only his usually kind demeanour had been replaced with a scowl of a battle hardened warrior. His hands weren't even outstretched to use the Force, it was almost unreal how powerful the Jedi Master was, to use the force to that extent without any exterior actions.

The other black armoured creatures jerked their heads to see the Jedi Master, and even through their Black Visages Obi-Wan and Xame could sense the shock and fear within them.

"It seems I have to step in" Ranto spoke as he turned his gaze to the other attackers.

The Sergeant took a step back before bolting for his speeder, his men closely following him. Xame was freed from the strain of the constant blaster fire and Obi-Wan was free to run to his apprentice and check on his wellbeing.

All the remaining Creatures got to their speeders and sped off in a haste, but just as Xame was about to give chase…

"No, allow me my dear." Ranto said as he held out his hand, and with a single swiping gesture of finger, one of the black armoured troops was yanked clean off of his speeder and sent flying through the air until he was stopped right in front of Ranto, whom had lowered the towering beast to his face.

"You and I are going to have a little chat." Ranto smiled before he sent him crashing into a tree. Not with enough force to snap him in half, but enough to keep him firmly in place as with a few other quick hand movements, vines from the tree began to wrap around the creature and keep him tied to the tree trunk.

"Anakin, are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked as he inspected the young boy's face.

"I…I think so." Anakin said, holding his nose to try and stop the bleeding. Obi-wan motioned for Anakin to take his hands away, which he did, under close inspection Obi-Wan gaze a sigh of relief.

"Nothing serious, it's just a broken nose. It's an easy fix." Obi-Wan smiled as he began to help his apprentice fix his nose.

Obi-Wan was both relieved and proud of Anakin, having stood against one of those creatures without batting an eye. The common misconception about Jedi was that even the young ones were deadly combat experts, that couldn't be further from the truth, yes they were skilled but they were still young and inexperienced, and against enemies like those black armoured thugs which even Obi-Wan had trouble with, it was a good sign that Anakin didn't get himself killed.

Obi-Wan smiled, thinking of what a few more years of training could bring to his apprentice. He hoped he could train Anakin as well as his master had trained him.

"Are you ok, Owen?" Anakin asked the young Co-Pilot who was still tightly gripping his blaster pistol.

"That….That was the first time I've shot someone." Owen said, his hand trembling a bit from the shock.

Anakin chuckled a bit before replying "Yeah, from that aim I suppose so." Owen looked at Anakin and began to chuckle himself, the little quip from Anakin loosened him up and let him relax just a bit. Just being alive would do.

Obi-Wan treasure moments like this, it was what made being a Master worthwhile. Being a Master was not only about nurturing the skills and abilities of his apprentice but seeing him grow from a boy to a man.

"Now, you are going to tell us everything you know, understand?" Xame asked as she leant down to look the brute in the visor.

"….." the brute stayed absolutely silent, not moving an inch.

He was a stubborn one.

"Ok, I can't read this visor, I'm taking his helmet off." Xame said as she reached forward, undid the clasps that kept the helm in place and removed the helmet from the brute's face.

To say this guy was ugly, would be an understatement. Though his face's proportions seemed…humanoid, he was still grotesque to look at. His lower jaw was squared and had two long tusks jutting out from his mouth, his two eyes were black except for the bright Yellow iris' that only solidified that this guy was not human as his brow was very pronounced. His skin was a dark shade of Green or brown with a very reptilian texture, his ears were pointed and from his head was slick black hair done up in a short black braid.

"Wow….uh…you're a Looker." Xame said as she stood up and took a step back.

The creature narrowed his eyes as if offended by the sarcasm in the female Zabrak's comment. He growled and spewed forth a few gravely words in some alien dialect that Xame almost mistook for him choking on something.

"Go to Hell, Jedi scum" the brute growled at Xame in its alien tongue, spitting on the ground in front of her to emphasise his disgust.

"Um…Ok, did anyone understand that?" Xame asked.

"There is no need, I can sense that this one is merely being stubborn." Ranto said as he took a step toward the brute. From the way the creature flinched, Ranto could tell he intimidated the brute.

"You know who I am, yes?" Ranto asked, already knowing the answer.

The fear that Ranto sensed in the creature only confirmed his suspicions on the matter.

"You know that if you don't speak, I can rip the answers I need out of your mind, don't you?" Ranto asked, deadly serious.

The Brute nodded.

"Now…Will you cooperate?" Ranto asked.

The Brute paused, before he nodded again.

"Who sent you?" Ranto asked.

"…L….Lord…..Maul." the brute growled out in his gravelly voice. Luckily the Jedi Master had an ear for strange accents.

"And what is Lord Maul? A Bounty Hunter, a Hutt, what?" Ranto asked.

Obi-Wan, Anakin and Owen were now paying close attention, Anakin with his nose bandaged and Owen having gotten over his trembling. The next answer would confirm their fears, of who this 'Lord Maul' was, a Crime lord? A Bounty Hunter, A Hutt or the worst answer possible…A Sith Lord.

"…He is….S…Sith." the brute stuttered.

Anakin and Obi-Wan's eyes widened in shock, the fact that a Sith lord was alive, thousands of years past their supposed Extinction was a bad sign. Owen after seeing what the Jedi were capable of, the idea of an evil version of that genuinely scared him.

"How can you be sure he isn't lying?" Owen asked.

"If he were lying I would sense it…besides, he has nothing he can hide from me." Ranto answered Owen's question before turning back to the creature.

"Was it you and your forces that shot us out of the sky?" Ranto asked.

The Brute nodded, his expression growing more terrified by the second.

"Why? What would have to gain from killing us?" Ranto asked. Obi-Wan, Anakin and Owen now within range of the conversation as they were anxious to hear the answer.

"I….I have said too much…" The Brute said with a trembling voice.

"What?" Xame asked in confusion.

"I…I cannot go back….I…I have betrayed the trust of my masters….they….they…." the Brute began to hyperventilate in shock as he stuttered his words.

"What do you mean? How many Masters? How many Sith are there?" Ranto asked in a hurry all of a sudden. The Brute looked Ranto dead in the eye and Ranto could see nothing but pure terror.

"…You have no idea what awaits you, Jedi. Your time is ending….the dark side has returned." the Brute said before he closed his mouth and swallowed something.

Obi-Wan then realized what the creature had swallowed and instantly dashed forward to try and get his mouth open, but once he did the Creature's eyes rolled back into his head as his mouth began to foam.

The creature was dead.

"What…what was that?" Owen asked.

Obi-Wan's head hung and he replied "A Poison capsule in his tooth, he killed himself before letting us have any more information." Obi-Wan then stood up and walked over to the corpses of the other 2 deceased creatures and dragged them back to the tree.

"Master, what are you doing?" Anakin asked.

"Trying to see if I can figure out what race this is." Obi-Wan replied.

Obi-Wan had been all around the Galaxy, he had seen all sorts of Alien species in his time as the apprentice of the greatest Jedi of all. By looking at least another 2 of these faces he could probably piece together what race this was. And when he figured out their race he could probably narrow down what the alleged Sith had for allies.

But when Obi-Wan took off their helmets, he was met with a shock.

They were all exactly the same, the exact same skin colour, same eye colour, same ear length, same tusk length, same space between eyes, same size of the jaws, everything about these soldiers was identical to a T, and Jedi had good eyes, they could see little differences in even skin colour.

But all 3 of these creatures looked 100% identical, from their height to their hair length. Even their mass produced armour had more individual aspects than the soldier's faces.

"They…They're Clones." Obi-Wan said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Clones?" Owen asked.

"Genetic copies, created from the DNA of an individual." Xame said with her arms crossed as she too inspected the brutes once she squatted down beside Obi-Wan.

Clones were an oddity at this time, once for a time Clone Armies were worth a dime a dozen, easy to make armies that age quicker and were bred for war. Thousands of years ago Clones were used a lot in the creation of military forces, but due to their limitations and expenses the use of Cloning technology became a drain on resources and soon became abandoned as little more than a tool in medical technology.

"Enough talking, we can discuss this once we get to the palace, these…Clones have already taken up too much of our time, so I suggest we move." Ranto commanded as he undid the vines holding the Clone to the tree, letting the body fall to the floor.

"Yes Master. Anakin, Owen, you two go ahead with Master Ranto, Obi-Wan and I will watch the rear in case those clones come back." Xame told the two young lads whom nodded and did as instructed by following Master Ranto.

* * *

The two Sith waited side by side on the landing platform, Maul with his arms crossed in front of him and Faye with her hands behind her back. Both of the Sith, the Master and his apprentice awaited the arrival of a very important player in their plans with great patience.

While anger, rage and passion was a Sith's strength, they would also practise the patience that came with it. After all, power was nothing if you could not control it.

The clouds parted as a black shuttle came soaring into view, slowing down as it approached the landing platform. The ship looked very formidable with its thick armour plates, black and red colour scheme and its presence amongst the two Sith Knights and their black armoured Clone troops.

A squadron of at least 25 clone troopers had assembled, along with a few higher ranking troops, signified by the red accents lining their black armour. They presented their blaster rifles as the shuttle touched down and the landing ramp extended.

Maul looked at Faye to see that she was obviously nervous, quite understandably so as the General was one such individual that deserved respect from all of his peers and would severely punish those that didn't.

"Don't be nervous, my apprentice." Maul spoke.

"I'm not nervous." Faye replied.

"Fear is natural in the presence of one with the General's reputation." Maul replied before turning his gaze back to the shuttle of which steam and smoke began to hiss.

Two Clone troopers both wearing long black capes, holding long blaster rifles with bayonets attached, walked down the ramp before stopping at the very end and turning to salute the figure behind them.

A huge, towering white cloak made its way down the ramp, metallic clanking of steel against steel accompanied each step with the audible whirr and clank of machinery. The figure was 9 feet tall at the very least even with his neck hunched down, his head looming like a predator as his sharp yellow reptilian eyes glazed across the landing platform.

Whatever was underneath the cloak gave this…. man a sharp angled frame as his face was shielded by a mask, a mask that was emphasised by the two large metal frills at both sides. In fact, the mask seemed more like it was his face, as he had no signs of a nose and the long vents acted as a mouth of sorts. The face was that of a masked Kaleesh.

This towering structure of a being marched forward, being saluted by the Clones as he walked past them and up to Maul, leaning down even further to look the Sith in his eye.

"Welcome General." Maul spoke calmly.

A deep, booming, commanding voice came from the General, a synthetic voice that was filled to the brim with power, authority and sophistication. He didn't stutter, he didn't cough, and every word he uttered was crystal clear to any with ears.

" _Lord Maul, I was expecting a larger welcoming than this."_ the General spoke.

"I would have had more Clones present, but unfortunately the Jedi arrived sooner than we expected." Maul replied.

" _So I have heard,"_ the General spoke with the smallest hint of judegment in his voice before he turned his crane of a neck towards Faye who seemed as rigid as a board _"And I suppose this is your apprentice?"_ he continued.

"It is, Darth Faye, may I introduce you to General Grievous." Maul announced clearly to his apprentice.

"Hello, General, it is a pleasure." Faye bowed her head to the towering Cyborg.

Grievous stared at the Young Sith before turning his head back to Maul, an obvious sign that he was not impressed by the young Twi'Lek girl and had not yet earned his attention.

" _Very cute, but we do not have time for petty discussions like this…. The Master is awaiting us."_ The General spoke to Maul. The Sith Lord's expression instantly changed the moment that a 'Master' was mentioned, and Faye saw it, only one could get a reaction like that from her master.

" _He requested we contact him on my arrival, it would be most unwise to keep him waiting."_ the General spoke.

Maul only ever in his life feared one, only one could strike such feelings into the heart of the Zabrak Sith Lord, only one could elicit the respect and obedience of Grievous, and only one could call themselves a true Master of the Dark Side.

" _Darth Sidious wishes to speak with you."_

* * *

 **Ok, that took longer than I expected to get done, Force Awakens gets released and I manage to get 1 chapter done…..huh…..yeah I really need to prioritize here. Just kidding, I had reasons for being so late on my updates, Uni work piles up and real life keeps throwing obstacles at me in order to prevent me writing my Fics.**

 **NOW: a few notes:**

 **Before you ask, NO, this is not the General Grievous you all think you know. This Grievous is more akin to the 2003 animated Grievous (AKA, the good one) like I said I was going to have some characters used better and more aptly in this rewrite of the trilogy, this is just another one.**

 **YES, the clones are the villains in this version, another idea I got from RedLettermedia(the guys know exactly what they are doing)**

 **If you are having trouble imagining what the clones look like, they look like the Sith troopers from The Old Republic PC game (hence the profile pic) if you want a simple explanation of their faces...Imagine Uruk-Hai from LOTR the Two Towers, they are what's closest.**

 **Expect a lot of ideas from the 2003 clone wars series (that series was my childhood) things like the badass Grievous, Durge, ARC Trooper badassery, so be sure to watch a lot of that if you want a taste of some of the stuff I may put in.**

 **Now that I got that out of the way, please leave a review, tell me what you liked, what you want to see, who you want to see.**

 **And before I get any of these I want to stress yet again, for the purpose of this story, nothing but Episode 4-7 (theatrical) are canon…nothing else matters, none of the books, comic books, games, prequels or spin-offs, so DON'T leave something like "Uuum, actually in the phantom menace they said this" because as of now, those 3 movies don't mean jack.**

 **So please, make your reviews as long and detailed as you want without waffling on, I love me some constructive criticism, NO FLAMERS OR TROLLS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! And please no 1 or 2 word reviews, I hate those, I want my readers to let me know exactly what they think.**

 **And now for a Dakkaman777 speciality, something to get the brain juices flowing:**

 **WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT THE FORCE AWAKENS!?**

 **Me: simple, the new characters that added a fresh new take on Star Wars while going back to what made the franchise good in the first place, like I said, first good Star Wars film since 83 XD**

 **This is Dakkman777 signing out, see you guys next chapter and MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!**


	3. Chapter 3 - The Lord Speaks

**Brief message to Guest Lord VaderStarki – yes dude, I will be making Anakin older and with a cockier attitude….in the sequel….but I'm not at that stage yet, he is still in the early stages of his character…be thankful that he isn't an annoying 8 year old with a bowl cut XD**

 **And one to the Guest who says I should rewrite my entire story to basically fit his parameters….Ahem…..how about you create a profile and start writing some stories of your own and understand how fucking hard it is to write up a story…..then we'll talk. Let me tell the story I want to tell before demanding me to rewrite.**

 **Please leave a review telling me what you thought on the actual chapter and don't just say "Good…..now listen to my demands" no offence everyone but it's my story, I'll take it in my direction, if you have a some constructive criticism…great! If you have some creative ideas...Great, send me a PM we can have a discussion.**

 **I write to make stories that I would like to read…if I write a story to suite certain other people…then I'm not really having any fun with it, therefore why the hell should I be doing this?**

 **Ok…..mini-rant over.**

 **EDIT - 26/06/2016 - Extra council member descriptions.**

 **SHROUD OF THE DARK SIDE**

 **CHAPTER 3**

To say that Anakin and Owen were in awe was a gross understatement. The huge spires and towers of Alderaan stretched to the heavens and gleamed bright silver in the glowing sunlight, not a blemish or imperfection to be seen. The royal palace was certainly a sight to behold with its design which mixed the high end technological side of the universe with the old age rustic aesthetics of a Medieval palace.

"You two are going to end up catching flies at this rate" Xame chuckled as Anakin and Owen quickly shut their mouths in embarrassment.

"Come on, we've delayed long enough. King Organa is expecting us" Ranto said with a purpose as they began to walk at a brisk pace towards the city.

Obi-Wan could only chuckle to himself at the wonder in his apprentice's eyes. Such was the beauty of youth, it reminded Obi-Wan of his days as a young trainee of the force, a mere learner under the tutelage of the greatest Jedi ever to have lived.

The Jedi had taken his rank as a master with great pride, not in himself but pride in his young learner. Anakin was more than a simple student, he was like Obi-Wan's little brother, to Obi-Wan the Jedi order was his family, his master taught him right from wrong and everything he knew. He had a responsibility to Anakin to train him right.

Seeing him grow and experience the universe the way that he had under his master made being the teacher so much more worth it.

The group marched towards the city gates with a purpose where they were met by two guards, men dressed in silver ornate armour with blue shoulder capes, carrying blaster rifles. The City guards of Alderaan were known for their shimmering appearances and regal outfits.

"Halt, identify yourselves" one of the guards requested firmly with their blasters aimed and their fingers on the triggers.

Anakin got in front of Owen and his hand reached for his Saber, but Obi-Wan held out his hand in a 'halt' motion, silently telling Anakin to wait and watch.

"I am Master Ain Ranto of the Jedi Council, I am here to speak with King Organa" Ranto spoke clearly without a hint of weakness in his voice.

The two guards began whispering to each other probably doubting the Jedi's words, however Ranto stood still and stayed patient even though they still had their rifles pointed at him.

"What's going on here?" called a voice in the distance. The two guards instantly turned to salute the approaching figure, a man dressed in the same silver armour, blue shoulder cape but a more ornate helmet that signified his higher rank.

"Captain, this man says that he is the Jedi Master that his Majesty is expecting" one of the guards replied without delay.

The Captain walked past the two guards and immediately upon looking at the dark skinned human, his stance instantly changed from one of authority to one of embarrassment.

"Master Ranto…Uh, I'm so sorry about this, these two are new" The Captain obviously knew the Jedi, probably from one of Ranto's earlier visits to Alderaan.

"It's quite alright Captain, I wasn't expecting the red carpet or a parade" Ranto smiled with an understanding tone as he began to follow the Captain through the gates of the city.

Anakin and Owen were surprised at the patience that the Old Jedi had showed to the city Guards, especially after seeing the furious scowl that he had fighting the Clones. Perhaps 'Fighting' wasn't a fitting term, he didn't even look like he had put effort into it.

"The City Guard are quite jumpy?" Obi-Wan asked with a cocked brow as he walked past the city gates.

"They would be. Supply ships have been going missing all the time, our outer villages and settlements have been going silent" The Captain of the guard replied.

"Haven't you sent out any patrol groups?" Xame asked.

"We have, his Majesty had sent out about 10 search parties of some of his best trackers and security about 3 weeks ago" the Captain replied.

"And…what did they find?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I'll let you know when they report back" the Captain replied.

That certainly made everything seem much direr than a couple of Supply ships going missing. With this knowledge in mind, it was prerogative that Master Ranto and King Organa had their meeting immediately.

The sooner that was done, the sooner the Jedi Council could be alerted to the situation.

It didn't take long until the Captain of the guard lead the group towards the city doors, though one thing Obi-Wan noticed more than anyone else was that there were way more silver armoured guards scattered around the city than he had been lead to believe.

"His Majesty gave me the order to double the city guard after the Patrol groups went missing. The people are frightened, and we have to prove we can protect them" The Captain said as he noticed Obi-Wan's look of confusion.

"I thought Alderaan was a place of peace" Xame raised her brow.

"Peaceful. Yes. Defenceless? No" the Captain replied. He was not a puny man by all standards, he was obviously an older man, around his 60's by his voice and the way he handled his stance. Pride, strength, courage, all gave off an aura of sorts that a Jedi could detect.

"We may not be a war mongering people, but we aren't idiots Master Jedi. A Nerf may not be a violent creature, but won't stand idly by when its herd is threatened" the Captain continued.

"Still, men with guns won't exactly ease the tension around here" Anakin said, earning him a stern look from the visage of the Captain's helm.

"Who is this?" the Captain asked, gesturing to the young boy.

"My Apprentice, Anakin Skywalker" Obi-Wan replied.

"Really? And what makes him think he can possibly know the ramifications of social order?" The Captain asked.

Anakin looked dumbfounded at the question that the Captain had thrown at him. Luckily, his Master was there.

"He is my Apprentice, and need I remind you, I am Master Obi-Wan Kenobi…and like Master Ranto I was the apprentice of the Grand Master of the Jedi Order…" Obi-Wan paused to let his statement sink in.

The Captain was obviously a man of the galaxy, one didn't rise to become the Captain of the Alderaanian royal guard without stepping foot off of the planet. And anyone that hadn't been living in a cave for the past 800 years knew who the Grand Master of the Jedi Order was.

"…Do you want to question my apprentice again?" Obi-Wan asked as he could feel the slightest bit of shame and embarrassment arise in the Captain.

"…Of course not, we've wasted enough time already. His Majesty will be getting inpatient" the Captain went back to his previous task of escorting the Jedi to his Liege.

"I'll meet with the king, Xame, Obi-Wan, you and the young ones' scout around the city. Get a good idea of the conditions the people are living in, and most of all check if their defences are in good condition" Ranto spoke to the two younger Jedi.

"Understood, Master" Obi-Wan and Xame replied simultaneously before they broke off from the Jedi Master.

Anakin went up to Obi-Wan as they walked and whispered "Thanks for that" while Obi-Wan smirked, leaned down and whispered back "Just try and keep your mouthing off to a minimum, Ani"

"No Promises" Anakin replied with a smirk of his own before Obi-Wan ruffled his hair.

* * *

Faye hadn't ever felt a pressure such as this, with her Master and the General walking in front of her down the long hallway to the projection room. The tension she could feel radiating from the General was something else, her Master could easily cover his emotions from her, but the General wasn't sensitive to the force.

Now while all life was a part of the force, only those sensitive to it could utilize the abilities of a Jedi or a Sith. Those few Sensitive to the force were abnormalities; families could have one child that was sensitive to the force without either of the parents or ancestors having said abilities.

To put it one way, a Force sensitive could be born at random…or for a reason. It was not genetic or biological in anyway, nothing about the force could be linked to any biological or anatomic science that existed. A Jedi or Sith could not be cloned with the same abilities, it was not exclusive to any race or species as there were accounts of species that didn't necessarily have biology or organic anatomy that where force sensitive.

The General's white cloak trailed along the floor as the metallic clanking of his feet and the industrial whirring and clicking of joints and machinery could be heard underneath said cloak of his. It was no mystery to everyone with ears or eyes that the General was not entirely organic. In fact, the only organics anyone could see on him were those eyes of his. Those golden reptilian pupils that always seemed to drill their way into the souls of those he gazed upon.

The General was not a Sith, but with that gaze he didn't need to be. He could make someone spill their guts with a single look or a single word if need be.

Faye's master had told her on many occasions, that the General was not like any other being in this universe. He may have been a Kaleesh at one given time, but he was old, he was experienced and he was not to be trifled with, in ways that many could not imagine. He was a military and strategic genius, he had a will that could not be easily broken by any user of the Force and he was one of the few beings in the Galaxy that could stand on equal ground with a Master of the force.

Maul was not by any means a novice either, he was a fully trained, fully fledged Sith lord. Trained since his birth to be a master of the Dark Side, trained to hone his senses, break the boundaries of his flesh and mind, and most of all, trained to be a weapon to be wielded by his Master.

That left one question.

If Maul and the General were so powerful, so experienced and so feared.

What could possibly frighten them like this?

Faye's question would soon be answered when the doors to the projection room slid open.

It was a wide open spacious room, with projection orbs scattered all around the walls and the ceiling, a very extravagant setup to be sure. Maul certainly spared no expense fitting the room with the very latest in hologram technology he could get his hands on. Not an easy challenge while in hiding.

Grievous and Maul both suddenly bent down to one knee, Maul taking his hood down out of respect. Faye stood still for a second before she too dropped down to a single knee behind the two. The young Twi'Lek hadn't met the master of Lord Maul in her life, ever since her master had taken her in, all she had heard where stories and tales from him, or whispers from some of the Clones that had caught a glance at him.

She had never met or even seen Lord Sidious in the flesh or hologram.

So she was in for a surprise when the projection orbs sprang to life and blue lights all of a sudden came together to form the shape of a man. A Man that wore a long hooded black cloak, his face was obscured by the shadows cast by his hood.

Except for those glowing yellow eyes.

They were not the eyes of a mere Sith, there was a power behind those eyes that Faye could scarcely comprehend. They didn't just glow, they burned through her and seemed to gaze deep into the inner confines of her soul.

Darth Sidious

The Grand Master of the Sith.

The Master of the Dark Side himself.

From the moment he opened his mouth to speak, it seemed as if the air around his trembled, even in his Hologram state the power and aura of intimidation seemed to radiate for all to feel.

"What is thy Bidding, My Master?" Maul asked, keeping his head bowed, same as Grievous, while Faye sneaked in a few glances here and there.

The Sith Master's voice rumbled within his throat, giving off a Sepulchral tone that held an air of sophistication about it.

" _Lord Maul, do the Jedi know the plan?"_ Sidious asked, the hologram giving his voice a crackling filter.

"…How…How did you know about the Jedi, Master?" Maul replied, astounded that his master knew about the Jedi on the planet.

" _There is little I do not know, my apprentice. The Jedi must not learn of our intentions"_ Sidious once again spoke.

"They will not, my Master. A Squadron of my best clones are on their trail as we speak" Maul replied with a respectful tone.

" _Though strong, your clones are no match for a Jedi. Especially one as powerful as a Member of the Council"_

"Excuse me, my lord?"

" _A Master of the Jedi Council is upon Alderaan. No doubt whoever it is, has already sensed a disturbance in the force and will contact the other Jedi upon reaching the city"_ Sidious continued.

"You…you don't think that it might be…" Maul assumed the worst possible outcome, that it may be the one Jedi that Lord Sidious could call an Equal.

" _A Powerful Jedi, but not him. This does not mean you can underestimate them; our plans hinge upon the continued operation of this facility"_ Sidious continued, his hands crossed in front of him.

"Yes my Master, and if the Jedi discover what we are planning?" Maul asked.

" _That is precisely why I have ordered the General there in the first place. If the Jedi discover the facility, then you must make sure that they will not interfere with the rest of the plan"_ Sidious replied.

Maul wondered what his Master meant, but then it all made sense, what was the General's greatest asset? His Mechanical body? No. His Prowess in combat? No. it was his unrivalled strategic mind. The General had never lost a battle in his life, even when the odds were stacked against him and his forces were outgunned, he never lost to an enemy General. His strategies and tactical no-how were unstoppable and he had yet to meet an equal in this regard.

" _General, if the Jedi manage to uncover this facility. Remember your orders"_ Sidious looked at the General, who nodded in response.

" _And Lord Maul…is this your apprentice?"_ Sidious asked as his gaze fell upon Faye. The young Twi'Lek felt a sudden sting as the Sith Master looked at her with those glowing yellow eyes. It was the same feeling an animal would feel when it had caught the attention of an Apex Predator.

"I am, My Lord, I am Darth Faye" Faye spoke, trying to put on a brave front in the face of the Sith Master.

The Dark Lord eyed the young Twi'Lek, scanning her, looking her over, as if searching for flaws or weaknesses. It was truly terrifying to Faye, as Lord Sidious was like the Bogeyman, a Demon in the flesh, a being to be feared with good reason.

Sidious smiled.

That smile was not a friendly, welcoming smile, nor was it like the smiles that Faye's Master gave her during her training. Despite his intimidating appearance, Maul cared for Faye in his own way, and genuinely looked out for her. But the smile that the Dark Lord gave was far from friendly or caring, Malicious and Sadistic were the words that came to mind.

" _Darth Faye…I expect much from you, young one"_ Sidious smiled eerily.

"…T-Thank you my lord" Faye bowed, trying not to make eye contact with the Sith Lord for too long.

" _That was not a compliment, young one, it was a prediction. You are Sith, you are the Force incarnate…prove to me you can do what must be done…Prove you are worthy of the Dark Side"_ Sidious spoke darkly, his voice rumbling in the confines of his throat.

"I shall…my Lord" she bowed her head low, her Head tails hanging as she did.

" _Good, good. I leave you in capable hands, young one, prove yourself worthy on this task, and you will find yourself a true Master of the Dark Side"_ Sidious smiled before shifting his gaze back to Maul and Grievous.

" _You will all proceed as you have been instructed. The Jedi have no conception of our goals, and they will never know until it is too late…the end of the Jedi is close approaching my Apprentice…do not…fail me"_ Sidious put emphasis on the last few words he spoke.

"Your will shall be done, My Master" Maul bowed in respect.

"It will be done, My Lord" Grievous bowed his head.

The hologram faded away, the figure of the Dark Lord of the Sith disappearing as if he was never there. The air became easier to breath without the implication of his presence in the room, and the sense of dread and fear seemed to dissipate along with it.

To put it simply, Faye felt a lot calmer than she did when the Sith Lord was staring her down.

She wouldn't be forgetting that look anytime soon.

Maul and Grievous stood in unison once the Hologram had dissipated, the presence of their shared master now gone from the room along with the need for extreme obedience in the face of Sidious. Maul turned to look at his apprentice, it wasn't usual that Sidious would take in interest in someone, even he didn't get a response like that when Sidious took him under his wing.

"Faye, are you alright?" Maul asked as he put a hand on his apprentice's shoulder.

"Yes Master, it's just…I didn't expect to…" Faye stuttered.

"It's all right, Lord Sidious has that effect on many" Maul comforted his pupil. Faye was far from weak willed, she was strong, well trained and had a will of steel, but Lord Sidious was one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy. Not many could stand in his presence and not feel under the pressure of his immense power unless he deemed otherwise.

The General without saying a word, left the room, his steps clanking against the metallic floor as he set off with a purpose. The doors slid open as he came within proximity, as they slid open the two caped clone troopers stood to attention and began to follow the General.

There was work to be done after all.

* * *

The doors of the Throne room opened with a thunderous creak as the Royal Guardsmen stood to attention, presenting their Blaster rifles as they would whenever the King granted someone an audience.

The next two to enter the main chamber where of course Ranto, whom had both hands clasped behind his back, and the Captain of the Guard, whose regal silver armour shimmered in the light.

Obi-Wan, Xame, Anakin and Owen we of course scouting around the city in order to get a good idea of the conditions the people were living in.

Huge decorative stone basins, shimmering silver floor tiles covered with bright red carpets and intricate rugs that added an old age tone to the spotless beauty of the room. An open canopy displaying the lush beauty of the Alderaanian landscape, as the sun shone brightly in the sky, down onto the city below.

The Captain removed his helmet, revealing the face of a man in his mid-70's with short grey hair and a few scars scattered around his rough and rugged face.

There at the end of the room stood the Throne, an intricate seat of power that summed up the beauty and history of the people of Alderaan.

The Throne was empty but the room was nearly full, just to the far right side of the Throne, surrounded by advisers and subjects, was the King of Alderaan, Viran Organa, dressed in a white military style uniform that was adorned with gold lacings, accents and a red sash accented with gold across his right shoulder, all topped off with the red shoulder cape hanging down from his left side.

King Organa was a fairly aged man, in his late-60's, his light brown shoulder length hair, bushy beard and piercing blue eyes gave him the appearance of a figure of strong King. His figure was that of a well-fed man typically his age, yet a wide frame that would have suggested that he could hold his own in a fight.

"Sire, I present Master Ranto of the Jedi Council" the Captain announced loudly as he stood aside with his fist against his chest in a salute. Ranto nodded in gratitude to the Captain before he began to walk towards the King, with the rest of his companions following closely behind.

"RANTO! How long has it been?" The King boomed at the top of his lungs with a smile on his face as he opened his arms, greeting the Jedi Master like an old friend.

"Twenty years, Viran. Twenty Long Years" Ranto smiled as he and the King wrapped their arms around each other in a friendly embrace.

"You are looking well old friend, I trust the Captain didn't give you and your friends a hard time" The King laughed as he heartily patted the Jedi on the back.

"Sire, perhaps we should keep the pleasantries for later, the Jedi are here on business after all" The Captain stepped in to keep the King on track.

"Oh, Oh yes of course Captain. Why didn't you remind me sooner?" the King said, straightening his collar.

The Captain only rolled his eyes.

The King motioned the Jedi Master to walk with him, they made their way to the open canopy.

"The Situation is dire, Old Friend. Cargo ships have been going missing for weeks, my patrols have failed to report back in, our defences have been bolstered to double, and without a steady supply chain my people…well…look" the King motioned out to his city.

Ranto for the first time saw the conditions the people were living in. while the City looked beautiful and pristine, the people were far from it, there were lines of people gathering around cargo containers where silver armoured guards distributed whatever rations of food and water they could to the starving citizens.

From the gates, the city looked fine, but from where he was standing he could see a clear deterioration of the streets. The people of Alderaan, a once proud people were looking dishevelled and weary from the shortage of supplies given their way.

Even though the planet Alderaan was lush with greenery and wildlife, the population of the city could not be sustained by the land around them without supply ships after many weeks.

"Ever since the supplies stopped, thing have only gotten worse and worse, not only have the cargo ships gone missing, but royal and public stockpiles of food, water and medical supplies have been raided…by who I don't know. The only thing keeping these people from going into a full blown riot, is hope that the republic will aid us" the King spoke with a heavy tone.

"I didn't think things would have gotten this bad. The Council will have to be informed immediately" Ranto said with a heavy tone. He could not defend this city from whatever threats where outside of the gates without aid from the council. He may have been a Jedi Master, but he was sure that there was a Sith or two on the planet.

A rightful cause for caution.

"Tell me, Old Friend. Do you have any idea what is happening outside these gates?" the King asked.

"Just a theory, but I must confirm it with the council. If what I think is right…then I'm afraid that the city won't stay safe for long" Ranto replied.

"Safe from what? patrols have going missing since I've been sending them, if you have any ideas of what has been doing this I suggest you at least tell me" the King demanded the master to tell him what he knew.

"I don't want to assume anything right away, but I have never felt a presence like the one I sensed on our entry to the atmosphere. It felt…strong…yet it felt like a blank spot in the force, and there is only one kind of being that could possibly block the senses of a Jedi like that" Ranto explained before he leaned away from the railings and looked the King in the eyes.

"There is a Sith lord on your planet, Viran" Ranto spoke with the upmost surety.

"A…A Sith lord? Surely you aren't being serious?" the King replied, flabbergasted.

"I hope for our sakes I'm wrong, but there isn't any mistaking that presence for anything else" Ranto said looking out to the city below.

"I need the council's advice and Force willing, some help in case I'm right" Ranto continued.

"The Projection room should suffice for long range communication, I just hope for once you are wrong, Ranto" The King replied.

"As do I, Old Friend" Ranto placed a hand on his shoulder.

* * *

Obi-Wan and Xame walked through the streets of the city, inspecting the defences, the walls and most of all the state of the citizens.

To put it lightly, things were not A ok.

The citizens were in a poor state, they looked like they had been welling in their own filth for a while. Many of the people were in a malnourished state, obviously the rationing system that the city had been put in was having a seriously negative effect on the people of the city.

Parents and their children were sharing meals that could feed a single person, their clothes began to resemble rags more than the clothing of people that lived in the capital city of Alderaan. Obviously the lack of food and water had taken a negative impact on the people's state of mind and the streets reflected that people were less productive, as the buildings and roads were beginning to enter a state of decay.

"I didn't know it had gotten this bad" Xame said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"The Alderaanians are too dependent on their trade routes, then again they could easily survive on the surrounding resources, it doesn't make sense why they would starve with such a lush and flourishing planet" Obi-Wan replied.

"Do you know much about Alderaanian history, Obi-Wan?" Xame asked.

"Not much, my master only took me here once or twice in my youth" Obi-Wan responded with his arms behind his back as the two began to walk.

"The people of this world weren't the original inhabitants. They used to be settlers who had to migrate to another world after they had exhausted all the natural resources of their old one, which was a beautiful and lush planet before their population expanded exponentially" Xame explained.

"Alright now that makes sense, they don't want the same thing happening to their new world?" Obi-Wan assumed.

"The people of Alderaan love this planet…they have built so much of their culture and history into it that if they ravaged it of life…then they would be losing a part of themselves with it" Xame replied.

"Must be hard for them, though it won't be long until they abandon their beliefs and start to think about their survival first. You know as well as I that the feel of anxiety and pent of aggression are filling the air" Obi-Wan said, looking back at the crowds as they piled around transports that were giving out food and water rations.

It may have been clear to anyone with eyes that these people were in a bad state, but the emotions that the Jedi were picking up only served to worry them all the more, these weren't any old negative emotions, these people were on the brink of starting a full blown riot.

"They are a strong people, they can pull through, I know they can" Xame replied.

"I hope so, otherwise it's going to be hard keeping the peace when the people you are trying to protect are tearing themselves apart" Obi-Wan responded.

* * *

"Well…. this is boring" Anakin said as he walked through the streets beside Owen with his arms behind his head.

"Come on, it isn't that boring. Isn't this what being a Jedi is all about? Seeing new places? Going on exciting adventures?" Owen asked, earning a raised eyebrow from Anakin as the young Jedi in training lowered his arms down to his sides.

"Well…it does have its high points when Obi-Wan isn't playing practical jokes on me. But then again I can't properly say what it means to be a Jedi, I'm still just a trainee" Anakin replied.

"A trainee? But…you can use the force right?"

"Right"

"And you were swinging that laser sword around like a pro?"

"It's called a Lightsaber, and I guess"

"Then what's not to love?" Owen asked. The life of a Jedi seemed like one of thrills, excitement and never ending adventure. Who wouldn't want to be a Jedi?

"I don't know, it's the only life I've ever known. I've been in the running to become a Jedi since before I could remember. My father was a Jedi and his father before him, my family have always been Jedi from what I've been told" Anakin explained. He had been told by Obi-Wan since before he was his apprentice, that his father was a great Jedi master who fought beside Master Ranto in his youth.

"What was your father like?" Owen asked, curious to find out more about the Jedi and their ways.

"I never knew my father, he died when I was an infant. My mother I know even less about. I don't even know if she was a Jedi or not. Obi-Wan tells me that he was a brave and noble warrior, a skilled fighter and a strong Jedi" Anakin explained, Owen could tell the question troubled him.

"Still…what about you? I know pretty much…nothing about you" Anakin asked. Making Idle conversation seemed like a good thing to do with your time, especially when getting to know your allies.

"Well, I don't know how interesting my life can be to a Jedi" Owen began, but Anakin promptly cut him off.

"Jedi aren't some god like beings, Owen. We are born, we live and we die, just like regular people. The only difference is that we are more sensitive to the force then you are" Anakin cut off the young pilot.

"Ok man, I got it" Owen held his hands up in his defence.

"I…I was born on Tatooine, my family were moisture farmers for generations, but after so dam long I just wanted to get out there and do something with my life instead of wasting away on some dusty hell hole for the rest of my life" Owen explained himself to Anakin.

"My father, was killed by a Krayt Dragon while trying to chase some Tusken Raiders off of our estate. My mother died of Balmorra flu much earlier, so I hitched a ride on a freighter to Coruscant and got a job as a co-pilot for a republic transport…now here we are" Owen finished as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Tatooine…. oh that dessert planet?! I…haven't heard good things about that place" Anakin replied.

"Really like what? The insane crime rates? The legalized slavery? the barren environment? Packs of murderous Tusken Raiders? The Hutts? The fact that there are literal monsters living underneath the sand?" Owen asked, listing many of Tatooine's problems.

"…I was going to say sun burn but…those work" Anakin chuckled, earning a similar good hearted chuckle from the young pilot.

Owen and Anakin, though both having different upbringings were still around the same age, were both young males and seemed to relate to each other's personalities well. Owen was more reserved and ignorant to the Galaxy than Anakin was, but Anakin was outgoing, cocky and somewhat arrogant, personality traits that Obi-Wan seemed to nurture since taking the young boy under his wing.

"Still…at least you are getting to see the universe, be it at the price of nearly dying twice" Anakin smirked as he patted Owen on the back.

"Oh, lucky me!" Owen replied sarcastically.

"Yes indeed lucky you! You should be thankful that you were in a shuttle with the greatest Jedi of all time!" Anakin spoke out loud as he dramatically jumped onto a nearby ledge and flail around like some sort of thespian.

Needless to say, Anakin's shouting attracted quite a lot of attention from the people walking by, many of which going home on their way from collecting their food and water rations for the week. Anakin, even though he was not a fully-fledged Jedi, could feel the negative emotions of the people that were quickly gathering around him.

It was time for the young Jedi Apprentice to do what he did best.

"Did that boy just say he was a Jedi!?" one of the citizens asked.

"No way! He's too young, just look at him" one of the other citizens replied.

"Hey! How do we know you are a Jedi and not some merchant's kid running his mouth!?" one of the citizens shouted.

The people were obviously hoping that it was true, that the Jedi had sent someone to help them with their problems. since the cargo and trade vessels had gone missing, food stores and water stories began to run dry fast. And since the stockpiles were being raided, it was hard to keep faith in their ruling government.

"Would a Merchant's kid have this!?" Anakin ignited his lightsaber, its sapphire blue blade shimmering and making its trademark buzzing sound. Anakin's saber was a simple training model, he had not yet earned the right to build his own.

"That's a Jedi laser sword"

Anakin swore he was going to burst a head vein if he heard one more person call his weapon a laser sword, a blaster wasn't called a boomy kill stick, so his lightsaber shouldn't be called a laser sword.

Then a few small children, around the ages of 7 or 8 began to approach Anakin, in awe of the Jedi Apprentice and his shimmering blade of light.

"Are you really a Jedi?" one of the children, a small boy asked.

"I am" Anakin replied smiling as he hoped down from his higher vantage point and put away his lightsaber.

"What can a Jedi do?" one of the little girls asked.

"I heard they can move things with their mind" one of the little boys said.

Anakin smiled, he knew where this was going, and he always enjoyed it when it did.

"I can, I can move lots of things with my mind. Do you wanna see?" Anakin asked as he crouched down to the children's level.

The children all smiled and their eyes lit up as they were eager to see a Jedi work their magical powers up close.

Anakin smirked as all the children began to beg him to show them his Jedi powers. He had done this so many times on Coruscant that it was almost second nature to him.

* * *

"The boy is a good sport, he may be young and brash but… he is good to have around" Obi-Wan told Xame as the two Jedi walked side by side.

"I bet, I've seen the way he looks up to you, you are like a father to him. I can tell that he idolizes you" Xame smiled at Obi-Wan.

"You think? I've always wanted to be a dad…never found the time for it though" Obi-Wan replied.

"Really? Mr Super serious Jedi never found time to settle down and have a family?" Xame asked.

"Family? The order is my family, Xame" Obi-Wan replied with a smile.

"Oh yes of course, Master Yoda is like your father, Master Ranto your uncle, Anakin your adopted son…. but don't you think it is sad that the boy doesn't have a mother?" Xame asked, hooking her arm around Obi-Wan's.

"Well…maybe if the right woman ever came along" Obi-Wan smiled.

Obi-Wan and Xame looked deep into each other's eyes as they stopped walking before checking around them to see if anyone was looking.

When they were sure that there weren't any onlookers, Obi-Wan spun Xame around into a nearby alleyway and pressed her against a wall. Obi-Wan leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers.

"I thought we would never get a moment alone" Xame whispered to Obi-Wan.

"I doubt Anakin or Master Ranto would approve of seeing the two of us get…intimate" Obi-Wan whispered back before pressing his lips against Xame's. The female Zabrak's hand made it to the back of Obi-Wan's head, her fingers combing through his brown locks.

Obi-Wan and Xame had been seeing each other for quite some time, seeing as Master Ranto was Master Yoda's apprentice before Obi-Wan, it was only natural that while growing up that Obi-Wan would see quite a bit of the female Zabrak. Both Master Ranto and Obi-Wan saw Master Yoda as a Father figure, so it was inevitable that Obi-Wan and Xame grew up together, their feelings for each other being a direct result of their history together.

"I think Master Ranto would understand, we haven't had a private moment together for…two years?" Xame asked.

"It felt like ten, I hate it when you go to the outer rim" Obi-Wan replied, stroking Xame's long black locks.

"I didn't enjoy being away from you long either" Xame smiled, capturing Obi-Wan's lips in hers once again.

Obi-Wan broke the kiss with Xame and cradled her face in his hands "By the force you are beautiful" he said with reverence to the natural beauty of the female Zabrak. By both Human and Zabrak standards Xame was a beauty, her soft skin, her flowing raven locks and her gorgeous sapphire blue eyes.

"You aren't that bad yourself, Kenobi" Xame smiled as she pressed her lips back against Obi-Wan's.

After a few minutes of kissing, Obi-Wan broke off, and Xame sensed an uneasiness within him, yes it was being masked by the Jedi, but she could feel it just underneath the surface.

"Obi-Wan…are…. are you alright? You feel…. On edge" Xame asked, cradling Obi-Wan's face in her hands.

"I was…. I was afraid you would have had second thoughts about…. about us" Obi-Wan whispered.

"Second thoughts?" Xame asked.

"It's been two years Xame… I thought you would come back only to tell me that we were young and foolish and that it was just a phase" Obi-Wan replied.

"You make it sound like we are ancient, besides… my feelings haven't changed, I want to be with you Obi-Wan" Xame replied.

"And I you…. I just…. I missed you" Obi-Wan smiled.

"Obi-Wan… one of these days… you won't have to" Xame smiled, implying a deeper connection the two of them might one day share.

It wasn't illegal for a Jedi to take a Husband or Wife, it was simply rarer than intimate relationships as being a Jedi implied a lifelong commitment and didn't usually allow the wriggle room to have a working marriage. The life of a Jedi was a tough one, filled with challenges and trails, but celibacy was not one of them, some Jedi would risk their lives and lose limbs in service, they didn't need a life full of sexual frustration without release on top of it, lack of sex could drive a man insane, and deep seated sexual frustration could mess around with one's emotions, making it hard for a Jedi to stay focused.

The two Jedi continued to relish the warmth emitted by the other until their embrace was interrupted by the sound of a high pitched yelling.

Xame and Obi-Wan immediately went into action and ran out of the alleyway and towards the sound. But when they came to the source of the sound, Obi-Wan chuckled and Xame stared wide eyed.

Anakin was levitating young children around with the force, making it look as if they were flying. The child he was levitating at the moment was a young girl who seemed to be having the time of her life, laughing and squealing as she flew in the air. The adults laughed and clapped their hands at the skill and powers of the young Jedi trainee, little did they know it took everything Anakin had to levitate a single person.

Luckily for Anakin, willing living beings made of flesh and bone were easier to levitate than inanimate objects, as the force flowed through all living things it was conducted easier through living things. Though the Force flowed through all, it was life that gave the force its energy, and like electricity through water, life conducted the force.

Obi-Wan chuckled at the way Anakin strained with both hands outstretched, a bead of sweat running down his face.

"Shouldn't we…stop this?" Xame asked at the odd display in front of her.

"What do you feel from the crowd?" Obi-Wan asked, still looking at the concentration Anakin was putting into his feat.

Xame quickly understood what Obi-Wan meant, the animosity, supressed aggression and rage that was building in the crowd earlier was dissipating and being replaced with the sounds of laughter and feelings of joy at the sight of the young Jedi doing what he did best.

"This is what Anakin does best, he may not be the best swordsman or force user…but he knows how to work a crowd and make them forget their worries. You should see him back on Coruscant" Obi-Wan smiled.

Anakin had a habit of doing such things around large crowds of people, it was in his nature to be a bit of a show-off. But it never resulted in anyone being harmed, Anakin was very good at keeping his concentration, in all the years Anakin had done this, he had never once dropped someone.

And no matter what, Anakin's little display got joy and laughter from his audience.

It wasn't much…. but it was what the people of Alderaan needed right now.

Anakin chuckled, his gaze not leaving the young girl for a second, every ounce of his concentration at work, focusing on the girl he was levitating.

That was when something caught his eye, someone around his height watching from the distance, flanked by two silver armoured guards with red shoulder capes. Whoever it was, was wearing a white hooded cloak and was concentrating on him the same way he was concentrating on the little girl.

Obi-Wan noticed Anakin's concentration waning as he looked to the white cloaked figure.

"Is that…" Obi-Wan was about to question when suddenly the girl levitating 10 feet in the air went plummeting down.

"AAAAAAAA!" She squealed as if this was part of Anakin's trick.

Anakin's concentration shattered as his face turned in horror, the girl wouldn't die from that height but she would seriously be injured.

Obi-Wan quickly lunged his right hand out, and the girl froze in place for a few seconds before she began to whizz around in the air like she was flying. The girl laughed and squealed in excitement as Obi-Wan used his superior use of the force to give the illusion that Anakin was still in control.

Anakin spared a quick look to Obi-Wan, a look that said 'I'm sorry' to which Obi-Wan just nodded and smiled to say 'It's alright, it happens to everyone'. Obi-Wan quickly finished the little trick and let Anakin take all the praise from the crowd and the children, as none of them saw that the young Apprentice had lost his concentration in the first place.

Obi-Wan looked to the white cloaked figure, he had some inkling of who it was, but he wasn't sure.

"Xame, is that who I think it is?" Obi-Wan asked, gesturing to the white cloaked figure hanging out on the outskirts of the crowd.

"Bright white clothing? Flanked by royal guardsmen? Yes, Obi-Wan…. that is the princess" Xame smiled at her partner's deduction.

Anakin looked to the white cloaked figure, whom at this point reached up and took down her hood. Revealing a beautiful girl around Anakin's age with beautifully smooth skin and brunette locks tied in a braid. She smiled at the young apprentice and his display.

Anakin did the first thing that came to mind when faced with a beautiful young girl.

Show off.

Anakin began taking bows and curtseys to the audience who cheered at the charisma of the young man.

The Princess chuckled at the young man's actions.

A good sign.

Anakin didn't want to risk this person getting away without introducing himself so he did what he did best. He quickly and swiftly moved his way through the crowd, his reflexes not quite at the level of Obi-Wan or Xame, but still quick for someone his size.

It didn't take long for Anakin to get through the crowd and briskly jog up to the Young woman who was waiting patiently with the guards at her side.

"That was quite the display" the young woman announced in a very articulate, proper sounding voice.

"Why thank you, a Jedi must do his best" Anakin smiled, noticing that the guards where gripping their rifles, ready to spring to action at a moment's notice.

"Aren't you a bit short to be a Jedi?" she giggled.

"How many Jedi have you met?" Anakin asked.

"…Fair play" she smiled.

"You will show respect when speaking to the Princess, Boy" one of the two guards announced loudly.

"Princess? You are the princess?" Anakin asked, gobsmacked.

"Princess Kiara Organna" Kiara smiled and curtseyed.

"Uh…. hi" Anakin greeted her after a slight pause.

"It's considered rude to not reply to an introduction on this planet Master Jedi" Kiara smiled.

"Oh…. uh… Anakin Skywalker" Anakin introduced himself with an awkward bow.

"Just Anakin Skywalker…. not Master?" Kiara asked.

"Uh… well" Anakin begun until he felt a large and familiar hand grab his shoulder.

"Yes, Master Anakin, aren't you a Master and not a simple apprentice?" Obi-Wan smirked as he looked down on his apprentice.

"…. Just Anakin" Anakin replied, embarrassed by his master.

"A Pleasure to meet you, your Majesty. Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, at your service" Obi-Wan bowed in respect to the princess who nodded with a smile.

"Hello Kiara, my you've grown up" Xame said as she walked up from behind Obi-Wan.

"Xame!? Is that you?" Kiara exclaimed as she ran up and embraced the Zabrak Jedi.

"I take it you two know each other?" Obi-Wan asked Xame with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smirk.

Owen caught up after making his way through the dispersing crowd. The people made way for Anakin, but they didn't see fit to make way for the young Co-Pilot, so it took him longer to make it to the princess than it did Anakin.

"Making friends with Royalty are we?" Owen asked Anakin.

"Maybe…what of it?" Anakin asked back.

"Oh nothing Mr 'Being a Jedi isn't exciting'" Owen smirked, only for Anakin to punch him in the arm.

Owen only chuckled in reply and punched Anakin back.

Obi-Wan shook his head, the youth of today were a strange lot.

* * *

Master Ranto stood in the centre of the Hologram room, debating with the Holograms depicting the members of the Jedi High council, the leading body of the Jedi order. Twelve seats, each which belonged to a Jedi Master of great skill, wisdom and experience.

However, a few seats were empty, as it was natural that not every single Council Member would be present at all times. But most of the faces he needed to see were there, some of the wisest masters he had come to know.

Master Brutas, a Tragerion Jedi.

Tragerions were an easy people to describe, dubbed 'Dragon Men' due to their scaly hides, claws, razor sharp teeth, long snouted faces, slit pupils, forked tongues, horns, wings and long tails.

Master Brutas wore a much more armoured variant of the Jedi garb as opposed to the lightweight variant that most Jedi like Obi-Wan wore. His hulking form adorned in a metal shell that was covered in scuff marks and dents that spoke volumes of his love of getting into the thick of fights. His scales were a very dark green and his eyes a golden yellow, his long horns protruding from his head signifying his age.

Master Brutas didn't use a lightsabre sword, but a Halberd of the same properties and a single gauntlet made of Mandalorian iron on his left arm.

Qui-Gon Jinn, a male human Jedi a few years younger than Ranto, but still an experienced Jedi all the same. His uniform was a step between Obi-Wan's and Ranto's as his was more robe like than Obi-Wan's yet not as ornate as Ranto's. His brown goatee and long hair gave him the appearance of a sophisticated warrior.

Master Zaran, a Vix Jedi.

The Vix were an ancient and very peculiar people, as to the naked eye they appeared to be little more than humanoid droids. This however was very untrue, as the Vix were Synthetics that had all the qualities of a living being that simple droids didn't have, they were not built but born, their internal 'organs' while synthetic, needed nutrients in order to operate, and unlike Droids the Vix were known for producing force sensitives.

The Vix were actually one of the most technologically advanced people in the galaxy, while few in number they were responsible for the greatest technological advances in recorded history; 80% of the surface of Coruscant was designed by Vix Engineers, and the Vix were responsible for the creation of self-aware droids like complex Astro Mechs and C3 units.

Master Zaran himself however was not an engineer, he was a Jedi Master, the second most powerful and second Oldest Jedi Master alive.

Zaran's 'skin' was more like a collection of black armoured plates in place of biceps and pectoral muscles. His face was like that of a human's but instead of muscles it was comprised of many smaller armoured plates that created cheeks, a chin, a brow and eyelids that shielded his glowing blue eyes. In place of hair he had fin like protrusions coming from where his ears would be, all in all he looked like a living suit of armour.

Zaran's uniform was the most like Ranto's, an ornate mix of robe and armour, covering up his synthetic body.

Zaran held himself with all the grace and wisdom of a Master his age, both his metallic hands clasped in front of him, his gaze showing all the experience and knowledge of a Master like him.

Master Ranto recognised every face around him, many of them were close friends, others childhood rivals, but all were his Jedi brothers and sisters.

Master Zaran

Master Brutas

Master Qui-Gon

Master Shaak-Ti – a Female Togruta, whose gentle and caring nature had made her like a mother to so many of the younger Jedi in the order. She was responsible for many of the new trainees and Orphans that were to become apprentices under the more experienced Jedi. Her bright red skin only served to highlight her delicate features and the crown like Lekku that hung down her head gave her the appearance of royalty. she wore a tan robed variant of the Jedi Uniform, with white gauntlets, boots and shin guards.

Master Plo Koon – a Male Kel Dor of advanced age, Master Plo Koon's cream toned skin against his black metal face and eye guards gave him quite the intimidating appearance. Although that was quick the mis-conception, as Master Plo Koon was known for his level headed nature and calm demeanour. His armour was coloured an iron silver against a darker shade of brown leather.

Master Ki-Adi-Mundi – a Male Cerean. Master Mundi's enlarged conical cranium was a unique aspect of his species, his white bushy goatee showing his advanced age. among the Masters, Mundi was known for his positive attitude and his ability to read people like an open book, which is why he was one of the best squad leaders in all the Order, while many Masters would have trouble co-ordinating large groups of Jedi as one cohesive unit, it came to Mundi as second nature. Mundi's armour was a chrome silver with tan leather.

Master Wrrlem – a Male Wookiee. Wrrlem's greying fur signified that he was a Wookiee that had a tonne of experience behind him, Wrrlem however was patient and a gentle soul to his fellow Jedi and those he protected despite his ferocious appearance. His Wookiee heritage was displayed all over his Jedi armour, the heavy iron coloured armour was adorned with tribal paint and the necklace of teeth, claws and bones that hung around his neck all did the job of displaying that Wrrlem was a proud Wookiee.

Master Jull – a Male Ithorian. Being a 'Hammerhead' Master Jull, like Master Wrrlem could not speak basic, only his own mother tongue which consisted of deep groans and guttural sounds that had all the grace of a TaunTaun's whines. Still, Master Jull was an Ithroian, he belonged to a race of entirely Force sensitives, so his natural mastery of the force gave him an expert edge over many of the younger Jedi on the council. His white armour was built around his Ithorian anatomy, protecting the larger areas of his back and neck, a vital area for all Ithorians in which many of their four throats were located.

8 of the 12 high council members, all gathered in a circle, symbolizing the equality of every Jedi present. Like the knights of the olden days, the Jedi Knights were the symbols of peace and harmony in the Republic, every Jedi elected due to their skill, their wisdom, their strength, their compassion or their will to serve the people of the republic.

But right now, no one would have made that connection due to the debate taking place.

" _What you are saying is preposterous!"_ Master Brutas exclaimed, baring his razor sharp teeth.

"Why? Why is it preposterous? How is it preposterous to assume that a Sith blocked my use of the force?" Master Ranto demanded an answer from his fellow council member.

" _The Sith have been extinct for years Master Ranto. Their order fell seven hundred years ago, their leaders killed, their holocrons destroyed, their historic records erased, all that remains of them are a few dusty ruins on Moraband, nothing more nothing less"_ Master Zaran replied.

"But only a Sith could have blocked me. You have said it yourself in the past Master Zaran, only a Sith Lord can shroud a Jedi's senses like that" Master Ranto replied with equal passion.

"Master Yoda would agree with me if he were here" Ranto lashed out uncharacteristically.

Ranto may have been a wise master, but when a strong opinionated individual like him clashed with the other Masters, it wasn't unusual for any Master to lash out.

" _Master Yoda is away on a mission. And in his absence I am the acting head of the council. Need I remind you, Master Ranto, I am the only other Jedi alive to have faced a Sith Lord besides Master Yoda, while you have only read about them in the holocrons"_ Master Zaran enforced his position, reminding Ranto that he was not as experienced as him.

" _Besides, Master Ranto, it is impossible that a Sith lord of that power could have survived all these years without one of us knowing about it"_ Master Mundi said with a calm voice.

"What else could have interfered with my senses? What else could have shrouded by ability to sense life on a planet as lush as Alderaan?" Ranto questioned, almost daring the other council members to come up with an answer.

" _Ysalamir can block one's use of the force, if enough of them were gathered in a group, then perhaps they could have created such a blind spot"_ Master Koon chipped in.

"When was the last time a Ysalamir was found on Alderaan?" Ranto asked sarcastically.

" _I don't think we will be getting anywhere discussing this matter my fellow masters. Though what Master Ranto said about these 'clones' does have me worried"_ Master Qui-Gon threw his opinion into the pot.

" _Agreed, a well-equipped military force, raiding and pillaging a core world like Alderaan isn't a good sign. I propose I go with an attachment of Jedi Warriors and ARC troopers and we take care of the problem post haste"_ Master Brutas thumped his fist against his chest.

" _Easy, Master Brutas, calm yourself. We must think rationally; this might just be a small raiding party or a clan of bounty hunters or rogue mercenaries. We do not want to turn Alderaan into a war zone"_ Shaak-Ti replied, gently touching Master Brutas' clawed hand.

" _Like it or not, we cannot afford to lose Alderaan. The Royal Family have been huge contributors to both the Republic and the Order, we cannot betray their trust by sitting on our hands and doing nothing"_ Qui-Gon replied, his level headed nature shining.

" _Agreed…though sending in a large military force without further information would prove to be more of a hindrance than a help at this point. Master Ranto, would you and your fellow Jedi be willing to carry out a recon operation to gather more information on the situation?"_ Zaran asked.

"Xame, Obi-Wan, Anakin and I would be more than up to the task. Though it would put the King and I at ease if you would send some kind of reinforcements along with supplies and equipment" Ranto replied.

" _I'll speak with the chancellor, we can probably spare what you need, a legion or two of troops, Captain Fordo and his Arc troopers are always willing for a mission like this. We can probably have them sent to you within a day or two in order to counter the AA defences you described"_ Master Zaran replied.

"Thank you Master" Master Ranto bowed his head in respect, a gesture that every Jedi present returned.

" _May the force be with you, Master Ranto"_ Zaran replied.

"Likewise, Master Zaran" Ranto finished as the blue holograms fizzled out and the room became dark once again.

Ranto just hoped that the reinforcements would get there in time. He was not angry at the council for not believing his theory of a Sith lord, then again it was a very large claim, as Zaran said; the Sith had been extinct for hundreds of years, nothing remained of them but dusty ruins on a desolate world.

The Sith could not have returned.

That is what Ranto hoped anyay.

He hoped he was wrong.

* * *

 **WOOOOOOOEEEEEE….THAT WAS HELL TO FINISH! I hope you guys enjoyed this latest chapter, now for a few Notes and reasons for changes:**

 **Kiara Organna – I DID NOT WANT TO CALL HER PADME! As an Englishman I know what a Royal sounding name is, Diana, Victoria, Elizabeth, Padme is not one of them, so I changed it something more bearable and royal sounding. Padme is a stupid sounding name and so is the word 'Padawan' (Notice I say 'apprentice' and 'Jedi in training' a lot, but never once do I use the word 'Padawan' same reason, it's a stupid name and I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face in writing it.**

 **The King's Uniform – I wanted the King to wear something that reflected English Royalty (Not only because I am a British Patriot) but because since the Original Trilogy reflected a lot of WW2 imagery, Medieval mythos and TV Serials, I wanted the Uniform of a King to be like the uniform that King George would wear during WW2, since the Alderaanians (having a Monarchy) would be a lot like the British Monarchy in more ways than one.**

 **Alderaanian Royal Guards - these guys I wanted to mirror the English Royal Household Cavalry but with a bit of a Space Age tinge to them to make them fit in the setting.**

 **Alderaan with weapons – I know that this one may pop up, Basically I wanted the Alderaanians to not be complete pushovers, and actually have warriors of sort, because even though Leia says "Alderaan is Peaceful, we have no Weapons" I get the feeling that they weren't 'ALWAYS' peaceful pacifists that didn't have weapons to defend themselves.**

 **Now for some casting calls to help everyone imagine this as a movie, basically when I introduced some of these new OC characters I had specific Actors in mind:**

 **Xame – Kate Beckinsale**

 **King Viran Organa – Brian Blessed (YEAH, I would have preferred Brain in a more dignified role than the fat racist space frog)**

 **Master Ranto – Morgan Freeman**

 **Master Zaran – Peter Cullen (Who better than Optimus Prime to play a robo-Jedi?)**

 **Master Brutas – Michael Clarke Duncan (RIP Big Man, you will be missed)**

 **General Grievous – Richard McGonagle (Yep, 2003 animated badass Grievous in da HOUSE!)**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter of this Star Wars rewrite, and Don't worry, the next chapter will have less of a delay as it will be shorter and more condensed. This one was just a shit tonne of character development and world building and I hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **This Dakkman777 saying May the force be with you!**


	4. Chapter 4 - The Wall of Trophies

**I'M BACK EVERYONE, Enjoy! XD**

 **19/02/2016 - Bothans...not Bothams...god do I feel stupid.**

 **Star Wars Chapter 4**

"Sire! Sire! Would you please slow down?" cried a feeble and old looking male Bothan with grey fur as he ran down the hallway of the Royal palace. The robes that the Bothan wore were simple, yet belonged in the surroundings of the palace.

"You should retire Cilius, you've been hobbling around the palace since my father was a child. Maybe you should think about retirement" the young man about 5 feet in front of the Bothan said over his shoulder as he briskly walked down the hallway.

The young man was in his very early twenties, he had short brown hair and wore a white uniform much like the King's, only less ornate and minus the cape. He walked with a sense of upper class tutelage in his posture, disciplined and sophisticated in every way.

"Please slow down, my Prince. Your father has enough to worry about without you injuring yourself by running in the hallways" Cilius replied.

"Oh please, the worst that could happen in this palace is if someone choked on their blue milk. I'm going to be king one day, and I can't learn to rule by sitting in my quarters until my father steps down" the Prince kept walking briskly down the hallway, the old Bothan lagging behind.

"Prince Bail, your father is occupied with the Jedi, he cannot be disturbed" Cilius warned the prince.

"All the more I can learn" Bail replied with a smile as he boldly walked down the hallways.

Bail came to a large set of double doors, at both sides stood two royal guardsmen, their blaster rifles at the ready. They saluted their prince, neither one daring to raise their voices to inform the prince that his father was in the middle of a discussion, they were royal guardsmen, they were charged with keeping the family safe, getting involved in squabbles and drama was not their forte.

"Ahem, the doors, Gentlemen" Bail spoke to the guards.

He was a prince; he didn't open his own doors.

The guards sighed before they opened the double doors, they couldn't refuse their prince.

The young price marched through the doors and into the main throne room. The old Botham following the young prince loyally as he did when even the prince's father was a young man.

"Where is my father? I thought he would be here by now" Bail asked as he looked around the throne room, which was clear of any other royals or Jedi.

"My Prince, your father and your sister are in the hangar bay, the Jedi are departing this minute" one of the guards replied.

"What!? Why doesn't anyone tell me anything!?" Bail exclaimed out loud in a panic before bolting out the doors he had just entered.

"My Prince, Slow down!" Cilius warned as he hurried after the prince.

* * *

Meanwhile in the hangar bay, the Jedi were preparing for their departure. The King had saw fit to spare a few speeders and what little supplies they could to the Jedi on their mission; after all it was for the good of his people.

Ranto had taken the council's words to heart; they had to investigate the clones that had attacked them and try to gather as much info as they could before reinforcements arrived.

"Now are you sure you wish to go alone? I could easily have ten of the city's finest accompany you" King Virian asked.

"That won't be necessary your majesty. This is a matter that we can handle ourselves, besides you need as many men as possible to keep the city under control" Obi-Wan replied with a sincere smile.

"Hey! Stop!" came a voice rapidly approaching from the distance.

The Jedi looked to see none other than Owen running towards them with a bag of equipment of his own, slung over his shoulder.

"You guys aren't going anywhere without me" Owen gasped as he screeched to a halt.

"…Uh…..no offence buddy, but….why would we bring you along?" Anakin asked.

"Those cannons that shot at us from orbit? I can disable them" Owen replied with a confident smirk.

"How? You are a Pilot; you aren't an engineer or a technician last I checked" Obi-Wan asked with interest at what the young man meant.

"Well, those cannons must have taken an enormous amount to energy to operate right? And to do that would require a tonne of power converters in order to function" Owen added.

"…And? I'm failing to see the link" Xame replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Power converters are an easy thing to replace, and they are the things you were going to disable once you found the cannons right?" Owen asked with a knowing smirk.

"Yes….and your point would be?" Obi-Wan asked again.

"I can disable them so that no one would know something was wrong with them until it is too late. if you just cut into them with a lightsabre or shoot them with a blaster or cross one wrong wire, whoever is operating them will know something is wrong and will immediately fix it…. I can disable them so no one will suspect something is wrong" Owen explained with almost expert eloquence.

"…. wow…. when you put it that ways it sounds like a good reason" Anakin smiled, slapping Owen on the back.

"How do you know power converters that well?" Xame asked curiously.

"I grew up on a Moisture farm, the moisture evaporators there pretty much rely on makeshift power converters to work…. naturally I know the things like the back of my hand" Owen explained.

"It seems like the boy has his uses after all. He can come" Ranto replied with a warming smile.

Owen smiled in absolute glee, it looked like it took every ounce of patience he had was being used to stop himself from bouncing up and down in pure excitement.

"You can ride with Anakin" Obi-Wan replied.

"What? Why does he have to ride with me?" Anakin asked.

"Because we only have 4 speeders and because I said so" Obi-Wan smirked at his young apprentice.

"Can't I just have my own speeder?" Owen asked.

"4 is the limit. We don't want to draw more attention with 5" Xame replied.

Owen hopped on Anakin's speeder, hesitantly wrapping his arms around the Jedi in training's waist, Anakin wasn't too thrilled at having Owen embrace him from behind, then again the alternative was being thrown from the back of a vehicle that could reach neck-breaking speeds. The Captain of the guard then spoke out "Lars, catch!" he spoke loudly, throwing Owen a blaster rifle.

Owen caught the rifle, the weight of it tugging down on his shoulders. It was a very advanced model, with an attached scope; obviously a military grade model and very powerful compared to the models he had been around. Being the son of a Moisture farmer from Tatooine, he had experience with blaster rifles, but this was much more advanced than the single shot rifles he had used to fend Tusken Raiders away from the farm in the past.

"I think you'll find that has more of a kick than that pea-shooter on your hip" the captain grinned.

"Our hopes lie with you Master Ranto" King Virian held out his hand to the Master Jedi.

Ranto shook Virian's hand, a symbol of their friendship "Trust me old friend, we will not fail. Just keep this city from devouring itself in the meantime" he replied.

Virian smiled and stood back with the Captain, giving the Jedi and their young companion some space to fire up their speeders. With a few flicked switches, the speeder engines roared, and began to hover in mid-air.

"May the force be with you" Virian spoke loudly as he could without full blown shouting, his voice winning over the sounds of powered up speeders.

"May the force be with you, old friend" Ranto replied as he led the charge out of the hangar bay, the speeders shooting off into the woods, the engines roars fading as they disappeared into the dense treeline.

"WAIT!" shouted the voice of Prince Bail as he came running into the hangar bay. The young prince screeched to a halt, gasping for breath as he had been running not stop in a hurry to reach the Jedi before they left.

"Please don't tell me I missed them" Bail wheezed.

"You missed them, my prince" the Captain replied without a moment's hesitation.

* * *

 ***CORUSCANT, SENATE CHAMBERS.**

The wide open spaces of the debate chambers were roaring with the voices of thousands upon thousands of senators and representatives of the worlds that comprised the Republic. All around the room were podiums, in which stood two representatives of each world, all equals in the sphered room, all allowed to speak their minds and express their points of view.

In the centre of the chambers stood the elevated podium, standing at the head of the podium was the supreme Chancellor. Supreme Chancellor Valorum was a human male, around his 60's with short grey hair and a time weathered face.

Standing to his right was Chamberlain Haumar, another human of a much younger age. He had shoulder length brown hair and green eyes. He held himself with poise and strength much like the Supreme Chancellor. The position of Chamberlain was a very important and old position, they would remind the Supreme Chancellor of all the laws and regulations of the Old Republic, including the very obscure ones that many would easily forget about, they were to be the Supreme Chancellor's right hand and would give their unwavering support.

Usually the Chamberlain would be of a more advanced age, but the last Chamberlain, another human by the name of Lantra, had died of old age a few months prior, Haumar was the next in line to take his place as Chamberlain was a position not everyone could fill and had to be researched for years in order to become proficient.

Finally, to the left of the Supreme Chancellor stood the Military commander of the Republic and member of the Jedi Council, Mace Windu. A bald, dark skinned human, wearing the heavily armoured uniform of a Jedi master, his uniform under close inspection looked like a human variant of the uniform that Master Brutas wore. It was no surprise, seeing that Mace was Brutas' apprentice and had taken up his master's position as the Military commander of the Republic.

Windu hadn't been able to make it to the council's last meeting, concerning the situation on Alderaan, his duties as the Military commander were much more vital than his duties as a council member. Jedi were sworn to uphold the laws of the Republic and protect its citizens, Windu did that by serving as the commander of the Republic's military.

The room was in an uproar as the countless senators argued and shouted at the top of their lungs, not one single voice could be heard over another. The Rhodian Senators shouted at the top of their lungs, the Wookie chiefs of Kashyyyk roared and growled in their native tongues, the Skakoan representatives of the Techno Union fiddled with their speech modulators to give them more volume, and even the usually quiet Ithorians were in danger of unleashing their powerful throats.

"ORDER! ORDER! I DEMAND ORDER HERE!" Haumar yelled into the podium amplifier.

The demands of the Chamberlain fell on deaf ears, as the senators continued to bicker and argue. Master Windu however had enough of the constant yelling and white noise, he slammed his hand down on the podium in front of him and roared at the top of his voice "SILEEEEEEEEEEENCE!"

…

…

…

The senators all silenced their bickering at the booming voice of the Jedi Master. Ignoring a Chamberlain was one thing, but ignoring a powerful Jedi Master like Windu was another.

"Good…..Vice Chair, as you were saying?" Mace Windu nodded to the young human.

"Thank you, Master Windu. As I was saying, Supreme Chancellor Valorum is our best hope for the future, the disappearance of cargo ships and the trade route security issue can only be solved with a clear head and experience in the field, two traits Chancellor Valorum is known for" Haumar said through the podium amplifier.

"Known for!? Our missing Cargo ships have doubled in the past few weeks, yet you and your people have done nothing about it!" a Representative of the Techno Union accused, turning the controls of his voice modulator.

"Agreed! Over 5 billion credits worth of cargo has gone missing in the outer rims alone in the past week and the price is only rising!" a Muun of the Banking clans replied.

"It's not only the money! Our people fear for their lives, how can we guarantee their security if you can barely protect cargo ships? How long before transport shuttles begin to go missing?" a female Twi'Lek senator replied with a distraught tone. Roaring applause from her point followed soon after.

"You have only proven your inability to keep the people of the Republic safe! This republic requires a new voice, a Supreme Chancellor that can guarantee the safety of our people!" a large male Tragerion senator roared at the top of his lungs, pointing his clawed finger at the Supreme Chancellor.

"People of the senate, please…we have enjoyed these last few generations of peace as they lasted, but like it or not, things don't last forever. Hard times and coming and we cannot afford to make rash decisions" Supreme Chancellor Valorum pleaded.

"You cannot expect to stay in office now that your term is nearing its end, Chancellor. Accept that now may be the time for the republic to have a new voice" the Twi'Lek senator replied.

The senate went silent, the Supreme Chancellor and the Chamberlain did not have the power to silence the senators, if they wanted something, then by the support of the majority they would get it.

"Master Windu, will you approve of this?" the Muun Senator asked.

Master Windu as a Jedi was unbiased as to whom the supreme chancellor of the Republic was. He was a Jedi, sworn to protect the Republic and its people, to be a servant for the betterment of its citizens, if the people of the republic demanded a change of leadership, it was his duty to make sure they were heard.

"I do. If the Senate requires a new leader it is my duty to uphold the wishes of the republic" Master Windu replied.

"Very well, candidates will put their names forward, the voting will commence immediately, we shall have a temporary reprieve in order to cast our votes" Supreme Chancellor Valorum announced. He was not a petty man, he would allow this decision to go forward, it was the will of the republic.

The senators dispersed from their platforms and the main platform in the centre descended to the ground.

Master Zaran watched the meeting transpire from afar, the republic had been in a state of peace for a long while, then again good things never lasted. An election for the next supreme chancellor was all but inevitable in a state like this.

"Master Zaran" came a voice from behind the Vix. Master Zaran turned to meet eyes with a human male, one with short grey hair and a face that looked like it had seen its fair share of the galaxy.

"Senator Varlen, it's been a while. How are you?" Zaran shook the Senator's hand.

"Fine. Finally Taking an interest in Politics?" Varlen asked as he sat opposite Zaran.

"Never, that was always Qui-Gon's forte, I try my best to stay away from long winded speeches and taxes and the like" the Vix's metallic lips curved into a smile.

"Then may I ask why you have graced us with your presence?" Varlen smirked.

"Now, now Senator Varlen. You know I cannot expose confidential information to a Senator upon request, that is a quite the Security violation" Zaran smirked back.

"You can't blame an old dog for trying" Varlen joked.

The two watched the other senators, debating amongst each other as to whom their best candidate for the next senator would be. Varlen and Zaran looked at each other, the old Vix smiling "You going to put your name up?"

"Why not? I've got experience, I've got the willpower, I think I would make quite the capable Supreme Chancellor" Varlen smiled.

"I suppose you have a point" Zaran smiled, sitting up and straightening his robes.

"You off then?"

"Indeed, I must see the present Chancellor on an important issue…. good luck old friend, may the force be with you" Zaran nodded to the Old Senator before leaving his side.

"And with you, Master Jedi" Varlen smiled as the Jedi left.

* * *

"Remember, the flow of your movements will determine the strength of your blows" Maul advised with his arms crossed.

The otherwise dark room was only lit up by the red of Faye's lightsabre blade. Her movements were swift, like that of a ballet dancer. Flourishing her blade without any fear of the deadly harm it could impose from a single stray swing.

"Flow like a river, strong, focused, even stone yields to a river in time, erode at your enemy like a river around rock, and victory will be yours" Maul ordered.

"But Master, shouldn't I be more vicious with my attacks?" Faye asked, pausing for a moment.

"Who is the Master here, Apprentice?" Maul asked.

"You, Master, forgive me master" Faye immediately apologised.

"Don't apologize, improve your skill, hone your talents, and soon you won't have to apologize for every slight you make" Maul continued.

Faye continued to flourish and swing her lightsaber, its crimson blade buzzing as I sliced and cleaved its way through the air. The weapon itself was of an advanced make, its black rim providing a perfect accent for its silver casing.

"Who told you to concentrate on viciousness?" Maul asked with a raised brow.

"I've heard the Acolytes speak about it, that a Sith should be relentless, vicious, a vessel of anger and rage" Faye replied.

The Acolytes of the Sith were basic trained warriors, understanding the very basics of lightsaber combat with a small understanding of the force and what one could perform with it. It would take 5 Acolytes to match a fully-fledged Jedi Knight.

"Are you training to become an Acolyte?" Maul asked.

"No, Master" Faye replied immediately.

"Then forget everything you have heard from them. A Sith Acolyte is naught but a simple soldier of the Sith, you are training to become something greater, a true Sith Lord" Maul continued.

Faye understood what her Master told her, she wished to become a Lord, or in this case a Lady of the Sith. Only a Sith lord could match a Jedi in skill and mastery of the Force and vice versa, she wanted to become like her master, to become as strong and wise as him.

Yes, Maul could be harsh at times, but it was necessary as becoming a Sith was no easy task, it was an arduous journey lined with pain, discipline and much training. No simple commoner could become a Sith, that was what the Acolytes were, simple Force Sensitives that lacked wisdom and the drive to become greater.

"Channel your anger, your rage, let it enhance your strength, let it fuel you. But do not let it overpower you, you are the master of your emotions, they do not control you" Maul instructed as Faye's movements became much faster and swifter with every word.

"Your Emotions are a tool, they are not in control of you, if you let them overpower you, you are little more than another tool. A Sith controls their emotions and used them to their benefit" Maul tutored his apprentice as she continued to display her fighting skills.

After a few minutes of training, Faye fell to all fours, turning her lightsaber off and latching it to her belt. Sweat ran down her red and black tattooed skin, she took a few deep breaths, her heart rate slowing down to a more manageable rate. Usually during a battle, a Sith or Jedi would enhance their stamina with the force, their actions taking up less energy with each movement, but during training this was not the case, standard stamina, strength and speed training was vitally important.

"You've done well young one. You are making good progress" Maul smiled as he held out his hand for his apprentice to take.

Contrary to common belief, Maul was not always a harsh or violent person, with Faye he was quite nurturing and supportive, like a second father of sorts. The relationship between an Apprentice and their Master was a sacred one, even with the Sith.

"I will admit; in my training I was much slower to get to this point" Maul smiled.

"Really master?" Faye asked as her master pulled her from the ground and onto her feet.

"Of course, your natural Twi'lek Flexibility and light frame give you a distinct advantage. Zabraks are much more inclined to be large and powerful, my fighting style was not tailored to me and my Physiology, however yours can benefit from it" Maul replied.

"Was your training with Lord Sidious like this?" Faye asked, curious of the relationship between Maul and his master.

"…..no….No it was not. Every Sith has the power to choose how to train their apprentice, Master Sidious had his methods….and they worked. That's all you need know" Maul replied. A slight hint of something radiated off him, it could have been anything, fear, hate, rage…. defiantly something negative but only for a split second.

"But enough of that, we are done training for the day" Maul smiled.

"What now, Master?" Faye asked.

"Now, I must co-ordinate with the cloners, see how manufacturing is coming along. Could you go find the General and tell him to meet me?" Maul asked.

"Yes, Master" Faye smiled, eager to please her master.

"Good" Maul smiled, patting Faye on the head like a father would a daughter.

* * *

The General's ship didn't look too special from the outside, a standard shuttle designed for long distance travel. No weapons located on the exterior and no discernible markings to imply it belonged to anyone of import. Then again from meeting the General, it was obvious that he was not someone who liked the extravagant parts of life, but more like a man that valued functionality and efficiency over all else.

Faye was informed by some of the Clone troopers patrolling around the base that the General usually kept to his quarters in his shuttle.

The young Twi'lek; though a Sith in training, was still wary of the General and what kind of being he was. He always gave off the aura one would expect from a predator, always ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

Faye shook her head and walked up the ramp leading to the interior of the shuttle. The General was not an enemy, there was no reason for her to be afraid of him, was there?

Then again, while Master Maul gave off a warm, caring nature when with her, the General felt….cold…unfeeling like a machine.

The young Sith apprentice looked around the insides of the shuttle, fairly standard looking hallways, the consoles in working order, the floor panels well-polished and maintained.

Then the Twi'lek came to the doors leading to the General's quarters. The young Sith tried to reach out to check if the General was in there, to try and sense his life-force, hear a heartbeat, anything that would tell her that he was there.

Nothing.

Obviously the General wasn't in his quarters.

She would have to look elsewhere.

…

…

Then again the General wouldn't know that she had taken a peek in his dwellings. Curiosity and temptations began to set in as she opened the doors and stepped in, wondering what she would find.

The first thing that Faye took notice of was the very dark nature of the room, the lights barely lit things up, giving the room a hazy orange tint. there were various ornaments that gave the room a very particular spice, busts of figures that Faye recognised as Sith Lords of the past, flags of fallen empires decorated the walls in mass.

A suit of ceremonial armour meant for a Kaleesh on a stood in the corner. The armour seemed worn, used, not to mention there was a burn hole around the chest area…precisely where the heart of a Kaleesh would be located.

Nearby was a workbench, stacked full of engineering tools like arc welders and sonic devices, yet also there was a nearby refrigeration unit, one that you may find in a very advanced Med-Bay.

Faye approached the Unit and opened it, within were many assorted drugs, organic materials and surgical equipment. Within jars were various organs, Faye recognised the organs as Kaleesh organs, eyes, livers, lungs, hearts, even nervous systems and vocal chords had been stored for later use.

The Twi'lek understood that what she was looking at was not meant for eyes other than Grievous'. Everyone had skeletons in their closets, but not everyone had organs stocked up in their fridges.

Faye would have left right then and there if not for something else in the room catching her attention.

Grievous' trophy wall.

The young Sith was instantly drawn to the sight as it was perhaps the best lit part of the room. a vast wall, adorning it were the weapons of the Jedi order.

Lightsabers.

Faye's eyes widened at the variety of sabers, some were so ornate that they must have belonged to very old or very vein masters, others seemed simple yet weather beaten that belonged to veteran knights, some looked so old that they may as well have been considered ancient. Lightsabers of many varying shapes, sizes and designs adorned the wall.

All in all, there were about 50 or at least 60 Lightsabers on the wall.

It was a very imposing sight, to think that every one of these sabers belonged to a Jedi that the General had slain.

"Admiring my collection?"

Faye gasped in utter shock and spun around, only to be met with the sight of two yellow reptilian eyes peering at her from the dark. The eyes rose until they towered above her and soon came the tell-tale sounds of Grievous' robotic footsteps as he approached.

The General emerged from the shadows, white cloak shrouding all but his head, his stance still looming like a predator stalking its prey.

"General! I…I didn't mean to…" Faye stuttered as the General's powerful aura suddenly began to overpower her.

"Don't apologize, Girl" the General now stood beside the Twi'lek and gazed upon his wall of trophies. A million questions flew into Faye's mind, all of which linked to the General's sudden appearance, she should have sensed his presence in the room, she should have sensed him approaching.

Was the General here all along?

How the hell did he go unnoticed?

Was he a Force Sensitive?

Then again, Faye remembered, the General was a skilled Jedi Killer, one could not be a skilled hunter of Jedi if they didn't have some way of counteracting the ability to sense living beings approaching through the force. A Sith could hide their presence from a Jedi, but at they would always leave an absence of some sort, a droid would not leave any kind of presence, absence or not, that is what make the HK units of the past so effective…a shame that those droids were all destroyed or reprogrammed.

The creation of HK units was a lost art.

"Now…Answer my question…. were you admiring my Collection?" Grievous asked.

"…It's an Impressive collection, Sir" Faye replied.

"General…. Don't call me sir, I don't command an Army for the fun" Grievous replied, not even looking at her.

"Where did you get this one?" Faye asked, pointing to one of the more ornate Sabers. It was a gold coloured Saber, the pommel and length were decorated by a silver serpent, when ignited the saber blade would emerge from the mouth of the serpent.

"Master Yanagarath, a Iktotchi Jedi, he was a strong adversary, I fought him for 3 days straight. In the end his over confidence in his abilities became his downfall. I took his left leg before taking his head and his saber, the look of terror on his face is still etched in my memory" Grievous replied, not an ounce of deception in his aura.

"And, this one?" Faye asked, pointing to a less ornate saber. A standard design, nothing really special about it.

"A Jedi Knight, a Human….I don't recall his name or his face, I crushed his head underneath my foot before the battle with 3 other Jedi even begun. I keep his saber to remind me of that battle, his death set the foundations of my victory that day" Grievous replied. The slightest hint of joy radiating from him when he remembered killing this certain Jedi.

Faye had to admit, the General had led an active life, and he must have been a skilled warrior to bring down so many force using opponents. Usually it would be easy to bring down one Jedi on pure luck and preparation, but the General made it sound like child's play.

"What about this one? It's different from all the others" Faye asked, pointing out a very old looking Saber, it had a casing seemingly made from bone fragments. It didn't look at all like something a Jedi would use, the best word to describe was Visceral.

"That one….is special" Grievous eyed the Saber, picking it up.

"Why? Was it a great master?" Faye asked.

"In a way…."

"What kind of Jedi was he?" Faye asked with growing curiosity.

"He wasn't a Jedi…he was a Sith" Grievous replied, still staring at the Saber.

Faye's eyes widened, this wall wasn't a random place for the General to hang his weapons, it was a trophy rack, to remind him of his prey and how he dispatched them. so why did a Sith Lightsaber hang on said wall? Now that she was aware of this, she looked at the wall again, noticing that many of the lightsabers seemed more Sith than Jedi.

Grievous had killed many Sith, just as many as Jedi.

"But….Did you always serve the Sith?" Faye asked. The General turned his head and looked down on the young Twi'lek, it was not a pleasant look, those eyes had seen terrible things, terrible things that the General had done.

Even a Sith could feel fear.

"I serve Lord Sidious, not your order" Grievous glared at the young Sith in training.

The General glared holes into Faye's soul, she could feel him scanning her, like a snake hypnotizing its prey into a lull, until it was helpless. Grievous then looked into the distance of his room before placing the Lightsaber back in its place.

"Now…. what did you find so important, that it involved snooping around my dwellings?" Grievous asked.

"Master Maul requested your presence" Faye replied, finally regaining her composure.

"Very well, tell your master that I will be with him shortly" Grievous said as he turned and returned to the dark spot he had emerged from.

Faye went to leave the room, but out of a bout of curiosity she looked in the direction that Grievous had glanced when thinking about that particular Saber.

He was looking at the Armour, the old, ornate Kaleesh armour with the burn hole in the chest plate.

Faye then noticed…. the markings upon the armour were Sith.

* * *

 **OK everybody, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I may have been a bit side-tracked with a few things in my life (and my other stories) and so I may not have been able to get this chapter done as soon as I may have wanted.**

 **Now….something I've wanted to talk about….The Palpatine situation!**

 **Now one of the things I hated most about the Prequels was the fact that EVERYONE knew that Palpatine was Sidious, EVERYONE! It made the film hard to enjoy because there was no mystery as to who the villain was, we all knew he was right there in front of us….now that is one thing that was almost impossible to get right, but they could have made it better, there were no parts that made you think otherwise, no red herrings, no mis-directions or things to throw you off his trail.**

 **Now Do I think I could have done it better….to a certain extent yes, the thing is that George didn't even TRY to fool us into thinking that maybe Palpatine wasn't Sidious, it was pretty blunt force that he was who we all thought he was.**

 **That is why I find It necessary to do something in this story that many people didn't think of….Make Sidious' other persona completely Anonymous….you may think that one guy is Sidious in disguise, but then I will throw a wrench in those works or throw in a red herring or a misdirection.**

 **Here is the basic point….I WONT FLAT OUT TELL YOU WHO SIDIOUS IS…..not until it becomes necessary for the big reveal….then again this can be done so much easier in a written form (I wager I could find a way in a movie to make my experiment work) so….sit tight everyone.**

 **NOW EVERYBODY! Please tell me what you thought, FOLLOW AND FAVOURITES would be a huge help to my drive, and REVIEWS WILL MAKE UPDATES ALL THE MORE FREQUENT!**

 **May the force be with you all!**


	5. Chapter 5 - The Sith Return

**Chapter 5 - The Sith Return**

The Alderaanian trees shook in the breeze, the sounds of the night a crescendo of rustling leaves and creaking branches. The only lights that could be seen where the stars themselves, shining across the night sky like pinholes in a blanket of shadow.

The Jedi and their young companion had stopped to rest, setting up camp in the midst of the woods. They decided against a fire, from what they had found there were plenty of Clones Patrolling nearby and a fire would only draw their attention.

Ranto sat, cross legged with his eyes closed and his hands resting on his lap, the Master Jedi meditated as his companions conversed nearby, sitting on their sleeping bags a few meters away, wanting to converse a bit before resting for the night.

Owen was looking at Ranto with a raised brow, the young man had come from a very challenging life, life as the son of a moisture farmer was not exactly a charmed one and tended to leave someone as rugged as sandpaper near the end, so it was understandable that the sight of a man of Ranto's age look so relaxed and in tune with his surroundings may have appeared a bit odd to him.

"Why is Ranto…. Just sitting there?" Owen asked, looking backwards at the ageing Master.

"He's meditating…gathering his thoughts, his strengths, and communing with the Force" Xame replied, looking back at her master and smiling fondly.

"How can you…. Commune with the Force? How does that work I mean….is it sentient?" Owen asked, still not quite grasping the idea.

"Honestly, it's hard to tell sometimes. Sometimes the Force seems like a sentient being…other times like nature itself, unpredictable and ever changing, I know this may seem like a strange answer Owen but…. even us Jedi don't understand the force completely" Obi-Wan answered the young man's query.

"But…. How can you use it if you barely understand it?" Owen asked, almost flabbergasted.

"Do you know the intricacies of how your heart works? Do you know how your brain operates?" Obi-Wan asked with a grin.

"…. No"

"Exactly…. the Force isn't a weapon or a tool…. its apart of everything, its apart of you, me, Anakin, the ground we are sitting on, the fish in the seas and the insects in the trees even the blaster at your hip. The Force flows through all life, it surrounds us and penetrates us and binds the galaxy together" Obi-Wan smiled, starting to sound like his master, minus the backward speak of course.

"…I…I think I get it" Owen said, leaning back and scratching his head.

"Don't try to overthink it, just go with the flow" Anakin put a hand on Owen's shoulder.

The four had a moment of silence, lying back on their sleeping bags and basking in the moonlight. Obi-Wan and Xame taking pleasure in the peace and quiet, while Owen and Anakin predictably shifted and fidgeted in order to get comfortable.

"Anakin…could you perhaps rustle a bit less?" Obi-Wan asked his apprentice.

"I'm sorry it's just that…. the ground really isn't that comfortable" Anakin complained. He had probably not realized that there were branches, rocks and sticks underneath his sleeping bag, making it very uncomfortable.

"City Boy" Obi-Wan chuckled.

"Oh, come on, rocks and twigs aren't pleasant to lie down on" Anakin sat up, giving up on lying down.

"That's a luxury compared to some of the stuff I've had to sleep on. You would think rocks and twigs are pillows when you've slept in a Gundark nest before" Obi-Wan replied.

"A Gundark nest?!" Owen exclaimed.

"When you are a Jedi, you tend to get around" Obi-Wan smirked.

"Oh please, a Gundark's nest is nothing. Try sleeping in a Rancor's bone pit, holding your breath so you hope it doesn't hear you" Xame replied, one upping Kenobi with a smirk.

"How did you get in a bone pit?" Owen asked.

"That was back on Hutta wasn't it? That mission with Zero the Hutt?" Obi-Wan asked.

"You remember?" Xame smiled.

"I remember that little getup you had to wear to gain his trust" Obi-Wan smirked, remembering the sight of the Zabrak female in a brass bikini. He would be remembering that one for a long time.

"Yeah…. not my proudest moment" Xame chuckled.

"I'm sorry but I'm lost" Owen's brow arched, even though he had been a co-pilot for a while he was still a farm boy at heart. The only Hutt he had ever heard of was the crime lord Jabba, who had built his palace on Tatooine to get away from the prying eyes of the republic.

"It was one of Xame and I's first missions. It was back when I was still Master Yoda's pupil, we had to get some information from Zero the Hutt, but since he had taken refuge on his home planet of Hutta we had to go undercover. Xame posed as a dancing girl while I went under the guise of a Bounty Hunter looking for work" Obi-Wan sat up and began telling his story to the entranced pilot and his student.

"I still remember how uncomfortable you looked in that jetpack" Xame smirked.

"That was nothing compared to you in that Bikini" Obi-Wan chuckled.

Owen and Anakin seemed very uncomfortable hearing Obi-Wan and Xame talk about something so…. mature. Neither of the young boys had ever had anything in terms of a mature relationship with a member of the opposite sex, same species or otherwise. So, seeing Obi-Wan and the female Zabrak talk like this…. Awkward.

"Ok, master I think we get it. You liked Xame in skimpy clothes" Anakin interrupted his master.

"Oh…Uh I didn't mean to…. ahem, sorry" Obi-Wan chuckled nervously.

The three shared in a laugh at Obi-Wan's nervous chuckling, seeing a Jedi Master lose his cool like this was something one would not come across very often. Only in cases like this would a Jedi let loose with their emotions, in the company of their loved ones and friends.

"Ok, ok, basically the point I was trying to get at originally was that it was a tough mission. Hutts are paranoid by nature so to get Zero's trust we had to bust our backs, Xame especially" Obi-Wan replied as the laughter ceased.

"I wanted to strangle that Hutt by the end of it" Xame replied, closing her eyes in frustration. Sometimes being a keeper of the peace would be difficult, so many times her natural Zabrak temper would get in the way of her role as a Jedi, Master Ranto had did his best to help her keep it under wraps, but at the end of the day it was in her blood.

The only Jedi she knew of that could get away with an action as brutal as that were Master Brutas and by proxy his apprentice Master Windu, those two while being different species seemed to be share a fiery temperament unusual for a Jedi but usual for the position of Military Commanders.

"Obi-Wan?" Owen asked.

"Yes Owen?"

"How did…. how did you and Anakin meet?" the young man asked.

Obi-Wan and Anakin traded a glance before the Master Jedi looked down at the ground and smiled. Recollecting him and Anakin's first meeting was something that always put a smile on his face, that first meeting would stay in his memories until the day he became one with the force.

"Anakin and I first met about a decade ago, I was to take my first apprentice as I had just reached the rank of a Master Jedi. Master Yoda always taught me that a Jedi's learning doesn't stop when he becomes a master, he continues to learn even when he takes an Apprentice. A new batch of young ones where in the temple getting ready to be taken under the wing of a master…. I didn't expect what happened next" Obi-Wan smiled.

"The Young ones were talented I would give them that, they were strong with the force, some talented in ways that a Master would want to nurture. That's when I heard Master Brutas roaring at the top of his lungs, I ran outside to see him snarling, pacing back and forth with Master Windu and Master Shaak Ti trying their best to calm him down" Obi-Wan chuckled at the end of his sentence.

"Have you ever seen an Angry Tragerion Owen?" Xame asked.

"…No"

"Well, they can get pretty scary looking, their wings outstretch, their tails repeatedly strike the ground and they can't help but bare their rows of razor sharp teeth" Xame replied.

"Master Brutas was mad because a certain young one had hijacked his personal fighter and decided to take it for a Joy ride around the skyline. Doing spins, loop-de-loops and disturbing the traffic of Corruscant" Obi-Wan chuckled, giving a smirking Anakin a grin of his own.

"Needless to say, he was a second away from flying up there bare-winged and dragging the young one down. I talked him out of it and we managed to get the young one to land, the young boy that climbed out of that ship had this scowl on his face, like he felt like he had to prove something, to prove that he was somebody"

"I saw a lot of myself in that boy, he was stubborn, didn't have patience, and had this absent-minded look in his eye. That's when the boy said something I'll never forget 'My Name is Skywalker, get used to hearing it because it's the name of a future Master' I swear I could feel the Dredd in all the masters around me, all the Jedi that did not under any circumstances want to take this young boy as their apprentice. I saw myself in that boy, young, reckless…a bit pig headed" Obi-Wan smirked at Anakin as his apprentice frowned at that very apt description.

"Saw Yourself?" Owen asked. The noble, wise Jedi Knight sat in front of him never seemed like he could ever be that type of person.

"Believe it or not, I used to be just like Anakin in that regard. I was a stubborn child that lacked humility and never took my abilities seriously, however Master Yoda showed me a better path than the one I was on. Needless to say, I saw myself in Anakin, and knew just what to do" Obi-Wan smiled.

"I took it upon myself to take Anakin as my apprentice, and teach him in the ways of the force like Master Yoda did me" Obi-Wan smiled, remembering the events surrounding that day.

Obi-Wan actually began chuckling uncontrollably, as did Xame, obviously the female Zabrak was present on that day by the way she was giggling alongside Obi-Wan.

"Do you remember the way Master Brutas looked at you?" she giggled.

"I thought his jaw dislocated, I swear it was almost touching the ground!" he Began cackling like a hyena.

"It wasn't that funny" Anakin pouted.

"It was the funniest thing that any of the Masters saw, Brutas still hasn't lived it down. He was fuming all the way back to the council chambers, even Master Yoda could feel it in the air" Xame giggled.

"But still, Anakin didn't except that straight away, he was going to have me work for his respect, and let me tell you that those few weeks were as close to a living hell as you could possibly get" Obi-Wan snickered.

"Didn't I switch out your Saber's Kyber crystal with a damaged one?" Anakin asked.

"My Lightsaber almost exploded because of that!" Obi-Wan exclaimed.

The four burst out in a fit of chuckles, snickers and hushed laughs so not to disturb Master Ranto.

Little did they know that the old Jedi Master was smirking with his eyes closed.

* * *

The room was filled with the sounds of armour plates clanking, of weaponry being prepared and of heavy cargo crates being shifted across the room. the room was quite a spacious armoury, filled wall to wall with long blaster rifles, spare armour suits, grenades, deep space equipment, heavy weapons and other such gear that would put a smile on a trooper's face.

Human soldiers donned their armour and loaded up their blaster rifles and pistols with energy clips. Thermal detonators were passed around freely and the hands carrying them obviously knew what they were doing.

There were around 30 men preparing themselves around the room, of varying skin colours and heights. Some men had tattoos on their shaved heads, others seemed to have grown their hair out, others had scarring, every one of them was an individual and that wasn't restricted to their physical appearance, their armour and gear were very customized.

Most of the men dressed in skull white armour on top of a black battle suit which acted as a secondary skin of sorts. About 5 or 6 of them wore additional battle skirts and a shoulder pauldron, along with blue accents to their armour.

One man however wore armour that was different to the other in one major way, its white plating was accented with red as was the pauldron stretching across his shoulders. The human was a captain of the Republic, and was known all around for his brilliant strategic mind and the loyalty he inspired within his men.

He had tanned white skin, blue eyes, shoulder length brown hair and a face adorned with scars. He wore the scars like badges of honour and experience, which was not surprising considering his upbringing as a Mandalorian warrior turned Republic military officer.

Captain Fordo and his ARC Troopers, the best soldiers the republic had to offer. The very word ARC stood for Advanced Recon Commandos, and each word personified the troopers better than any

Their mission was simple, to offer support and provide reconnaissance for Master Ranto and Master Kenobi on Alderaan.

Master Zaran stood close by with his arms crossed as he relayed all the information he could to the Captain. He had told him of the clones, the planetary defences and the possibility of a Sith lord on Alderaan.

"Understand the situation, Captain?" the Jedi Master asked.

"Perfectly sir, my men and I are always up to the challenge. Besides, we've never killed a Sith Lord before, it should be an exciting mission" Fordo smiled as he charged one of his two blaster pistols.

"You should be sure to practise caution; a force wielder of that calibre is not to be trifled with, trust me" Zaran replied.

"Understood sir, although may I ask why no Jedi are accompanying us?" Fordo asked as he gave his blaster pistol a whirl before holstering it on his hip.

"Master Ranto, Kenobi, Xame and Anakin are on Alderaan, they can handle a Sith lord, what they require is support from experts in your field…besides, the Chancellor hasn't approved us sending in Swathes of Jedi on the feeling of a single Jedi, Master or not" Zaran replied.

"Alright, whatever the Chancellor says" Fordo replied as he stood up, taking his helmet under his arm.

"Mind if I ask something, Sir?" Fordo asked.

"Go ahead Captain" Zaran replied.

"Do you think there is a chance the Sith have returned?" Fordo asked as he and the Vix Jedi walked towards the shuttle, the other ARC troopers finishing up behind them.

"…If you had asked me yesterday, I would have laughed in your face. The Sith were destroyed thousands of years ago, the last recorded Sith died by my hand…then again Ranto is strong with the force, and he is a pupil of the only man I would consider my superior" Zaran replied, scratching his metallic chin.

"I thought you Jedi were supposed to be all seeing" Fordo asked before putting on his helmet. The helmet of a Republic trooper bore a striking resemblance to the helms of Mandalorian warriors, the T shaped visor most of all.

"Not always; the Force isn't as simple as many think, and using the Force for premonitions isn't an exact science. It's like looking at a reflection in a running stream…sometimes you can get a clear glimpse if you look hard enough but other times it's in the hands of the current" Zaran replied as he looked at the shuttle in front of him.

The Shuttle had been heavily customized by the ARC troopers as the front section had been painted to resemble the face of a fanged beast of some kind.

"I see you mix work and play" Zaran said with a raised metallic brow.

"What's the point of having a job like this if you don't enjoy it?" Fordo smiled behind his helmet. The Captain turned to his troopers, all of which had finished suiting and arming up.

Zaran had to admit, the ARC troopers didn't look like they were messing around. The Vix Jedi noticed some pretty heavy weaponry, a Z-6 Rotary Blaster Cannon, a Reciprocating Quad Blaster and even a few heavy-duty rocket launchers. It was no question that the ARC troopers were packing some major heat.

"Men! ATTENTION!" Fordo ordered, his men falling to attention immediately upon his word.

Zaran's metallic brow raised, the response time between Fordo's command and his men's fall to attention was almost instantaneous. Fordo's men obviously had a deep admiration and loyalty to their captain, due to the feeling of respect that Zaran felt in the air around him.

Men like Fordo weren't common in the Galaxy. A Man whom could command respect with his mere presence.

' _He would have made a great Jedi if he were born a force wielder'_ Zaran thought to himself.

The Captain clasped both hands behind his back and held his head high with both legs wide apart.

"Our Mission is a simple one, we are to support the Jedi on Alderaan against an unknown enemy, all we know is that they are strong, durable and unlike anything the Republic has ever faced before. You men are the best, the bravest and most skilled soldiers the republic has to offer, it is only natural that this task falls to us, the fate of the people of Alderaan and the Republic could very well rest in our hands….any questions?" Fordo asked at the end of his speech.

One trooper raised his hand.

"What are Alderaanian girls like?" the trooper asked with a chuckle, earning laughs from his fellow ARC troopers.

"A lot like your wife I would suppose, want me to tell her that you asked?" the Captain asked.

The ARC Troopers roared with laughter at the quick wit of their commander and the embarrassment of their comrade. It was a curious thing for Zaran to see, the comradery that these Elite troopers shared was almost contradictory to the tales he had heard of their skill and professionalism. Zaran hadn't had any interactions with the troopers before, usually it was the duty of Master Windu to handle troops, and before that it was Master Brutas.

"Anything to add Master Zaran?" Fordo asked the Jedi Master whom now had the full attention of the ARC Troopers.

"ARC Troopers, you men are the best of the best, the Elite, the greatest soldiers of the Republic. If what I've heard about you is true, I expect that this mission is as good as done. May the Force guide your aim and protect you on your mission" Zaran spoke with the authority of a Jedi Master.

The men all seemed quite encouraged by Zaran's speech as they all straightened up, standing to attention, ready to jump headfirst into the fire at a moment's notice.

"MOVE OUT!" Fordo roared, his troopers obeying immediately and proceeded to board the shuttle, their weapons and gear at the ready.

"Wish us luck, Master Zaran" Fordo saluted the Vix Jedi.

Zaran bowed in respect to the Captain as he followed his troops into the shuttle.

The shuttle took off almost silently into the skies before it rocketed off out into orbit. Even from the ground Master Zaran could see the colossal Republic Starship waiting for its passengers. The Chancellor didn't exactly give Zaran everything he wanted…. but he wasn't stingy with what he did give him.

An Elite group of the Republic's best soldiers, a few more regiments waiting on the cruiser, special equipment that the Jedi on Alderaan would need and the means to get them to their destination.

Zaran just hoped it would be enough.

* * *

The General watched over the holographic maps laid out in front of him, the diagrams were of the Royal Palace of Alderaan, his scouts had done quite a marvellous job with delivering these up to date schematics of the defences.

At his sides were the two black cloaked Clones; standing guard with their long blaster rifles. The control room was full of humans, sat at control consoles, monitoring the various systems of the base and checking radio frequencies from Clone patrols.

One Human in a black military uniform approached the General with his hands behind his back.

"General" the human announced to get his commanding officer's attention.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" Grievous asked, his reptilian eyes not leaving the schematics for a moment.

"The Scouting Party has returned and the Sergeant wants to report to Lord Maul and Lady Faye" the Lieutenant replied.

"Where are they now?" Grievous asked.

"Lord Maul is usually meditating…Lady Faye on the other hand is probably working on her 'special' project" the Lieutenant replied, gesturing the quotation marks around special with his hands.

"Does the Sergeant know of my presence?" Grievous asked, not turning his head in the slightest.

"No Sir, he and his men were absent at the time of your arrival"

"Good, I'll see to them myself. You can inform Maul and his apprentice if you wish, but it isn't necessary" Grievous replied, standing up to his full height and turning his attention away from the projector.

The General had to take charge of his troops.

* * *

"Well…..that's not what I expected" Owen said as he peered through his binoculars.

"What did you expect? A bunch of tents? They aren't sand people and we aren't on Tatooine, buddy" Anakin replied.

"I have to agree with Owen, that's not what I was expecting…. they are right out in the open. I mean look at the size of that place" Xame observed, the size of the base was too big for the trees to hide its position.

All five companions watched from the tree line, doing their best to remain undetected as clone troopers patrolled the walls of their base. To say the base was large was an understatement. It was around the length of a republic cruiser and twice as high. Add that to the fact that it was sticking out of a mountainside and in all likeliness, there was probably more to the base that they couldn't see.

"Where are the guards? Shouldn't there be any standing watch?" Owen asked, noticing a lack of black armoured Clone Troopers.

"They're there….you just can't see them" Obi-Wan replied, his sight fixed on the railings on the roof of the base.

"Alright then…how are we going to do this?" the Jedi Knight wondered.

"That over there might help" Owen pointed to what looked like the entrance of the base.

There they all saw a single Clone, dishevelled and worn out arrived on a damaged Speeder bike. Upon closer inspection Obi-Wan recognised it as the clone that escaped their last encounter, identified by his red shoulder cape.

Obi-Wan noticed that when he arrived at the entrance, the clones on the roof turned their attentions away from the perimeter.

This was their chance.

"Everyone stay here" Obi-Wan whispered to the others before leaning in to Xame.

"Xame! On me!" Obi-Wan whispered to the Zabrak.

The two Jedi Knights quickly and quietly ran from the treeline towards the nearest wall of the base. Staying as close to the ground as they could, they leaned against the wall, facing each other.

"Are they looking?" Xame asked.

Obi-Wan looked up and from what he could sense, the Clones' attention was being drawn to the entrance.

"No, Go, Go" Obi-Wan whispered as he and Xame braced themselves. Concentrating as hard as they could they used the force to vault themselves straight upward.

Shooting up in a straight line, both Jedi grabbed a hold of the ledge. Hanging on the railings for a few seconds before in a display of acrobatic agility both Jedi summersaulted onto the roof, barely making a sound as they landed.

Now seeing the roof before them, Obi-Wan and Xame could see a mass of air vents, piping, a few satellite dishes and maintenance droids at work. Immediately without a moment's hesitation, Obi-Wan and Xame leapt into cover.

If the clones spotted them there it would be bad. Very bad.

Obi-Wan peeked out of cover to see where the clones were. There were about 4 or 5 lightly armoured clone troopers, armed with long blaster rifles with scopes attached.

Obi-Wan noticed that the long-range weapons and lighter variant of armour made these troops more vulnerable to close quarters combat. Then again, he didn't want to bust out his Lightsaber and alert the entire base to his presence.

" _Obi….can you hear me?"_ came a soft voice inside Obi-Wan's head. The Jedi knight smirked before reaching out with the force to Xame.

" _You haven't called me Obi in years"_ Obi-Wan replied as he looked to his companion.

What Obi-Wan and Xame were doing was thought sharing, an ability that experienced Jedi knights with close bonds were capable of. With the link of trust between them they could communicate from short distances, sort of like radios that lacked the risk of others hearing said conversation.

" _Not in public anyway"_ Xame replied, Obi-Wan saw the smirk on her face.

" _True"_

" _How do you plan on taking them out?"_ Xame asked.

" _I was thinking how Master Brutas always told us 'when in doubt, let your fists do the talking'"_ Obi-Wan replied.

" _Really? Master Brutas can lift a fighter craft above his head with his bare hands…how are you going to do this?"_ Xame asked sceptically.

Obi-Wan smirked before peeking his head out to see that only three of the guards were present, the other two had probably went below to greet the newly arriving Clone scout.

The Jedi knight waved his hand to the side, using the force to cause some of the satellite equipment to clatter and make some noise. 2 of the clones immediately went to investigate, their rifles at the ready while one stayed behind to keep watch.

" _You thinking what I'm thinking?"_

" _I think I am"_

" _3,2,1 NOW"_

Obi-Wan and Xame reached out and swung their arms in the direction of the forest, using all their strength and concentration in the force. In an instant, the Clone trooper was no longer standing guard, but was hurdling through the air as the two Jedi Knights swung him like ragdoll with the force.

The Guard would easily die on impact once he hit the ground.

"Coast is clear" Obi-Wan smiled at the Female Zabrak. Before he leaned over the side of the building to tell the others to approach the wall, Xame leaned over and gave him an affectionate kiss on the cheek.

"It certainly is, Obi"

* * *

*Systems check online*

…

…

*Vocalization systems rebooting*

*Optical systems under diagnostic*

*Upper torso operational*

*Lower torso operational*

*Legs operational*

*Automatic aiming processor under diagnostic*

*Dura-steel plate armour at 95% integrity*

*Visual systems activated*

…

…

Bright Yellow eyes lit up in the face of the red droid. Its head whirred around, taking note of its surroundings. Scanning the room for structural weaknesses or defensible positions.

"Can you hear me? Hello?" the Lethan Twi'Lek asked as she waved her hand in front of the visor of the droid.

*BZZZZZZZZ…. Vocal Systems operational….Demand: Identify yourself*

"Darth Faye, Apprentice of Darth Maul, Lord of the Sith" Faye quickly explained hoping the droid would recognise her rank or at least the tattoos covering her body.

*Bzzzzzz…..Bleep,Bloop,Bleep,Bloop…..Identification confirmed*

*Greeting: Hello Mistress*

"Well….at least your vocal systems didn't glitch this time" Faye smirked as she continued to fiddle and tinker with the mass array of wires in front of her.

*Inquiry: What are your orders Mistress?* the droid asked.

"My orders...uh…. stay still until I've finished?" Faye replied.

*Order confirmed, Mistress*

For a few minutes Faye continued her work, but the dead silence coupled with the sight of the droid staring at her with its unblinking electronic eyes. The young Sith apprentice was used to working with droids, but the look on the visage of this particular droid wasn't anywhere near as friendly as any protocol or astro-droid.

"Alright you can ask questions…anything beats this silence" Faye replied with a roll of her eyes.

*Inquiry: What is it you want me to ask, Mistress?* the droid asked with a hint of sarcasm unbecoming of a droid.

"Of all the droids, I could have rebuilt I get the one that's a smartass" Faye chuckled.

*Statement: Apologies Mistress, it has been a while since I have conversed with a Meatbag*

"Meatbag?" Faye couldn't help but giggle at the term that the droid used.

*Inquiry: does that term displease you Mistress?*

"No…no actually I really like it…just don't refer to myself or anyone close to me as that, ok?" Faye asked. She imagined that the General, Master Maul or any of the other Sith would take kindly to that term being used on them.

*Order confirmed, Mistress*

Faye continued to tinker with the droid's systems, making sure everything was in working order. Making sure that the limbs fit the rest of the body properly, she checked the joints.

"Do the limbs feel alright?" Faye asked.

*Response: Very well Mistress. They actually feel much better than my previous limbs* the droid responded.

"Wait….you have memories? I thought I would need the memory chip replaced" Faye's eyebrow raised in surprise. She was sure that the memory chip already installed would be faulty and would need to be replaced, but apparently, that didn't seem to be the case at the moment.

*Information: Yes Mistress, I have retained 35% of my memories prior to reactivation. This includes combat tactics, weapons training, previous kills and what is labelled as 'misc.'* the droid replied with a very chipper tone.

"Ok, I'm curious as hell to know what that 'Misc.' entails" Faye smiled as she continued to put the droid together, putting armour plates over the panels as she finished putting the droid together.

*Information: It would probably bore you Mistress, piloting information, information upon several languages, frivolous things for a Sith to know* the droid replied.

"I don't know…I'm not a typical Sith, from what my master tells me" Faye replied. Her expression softening a bit, a hint of sadness in her voice.

*Inquiry: Mistress, are you functioning correctly?* The droid asked.

"Just fine. I don't normally get like this, it's nice having someone to speak freely to" Faye smiled as she flicked a few switches and pressed a few buttons.

WHIIIIRRRRRRRR!

The lower half of the droid connected with its upper torso with a metallic CLANK! As the apparatus that kept the droid upright went to work on connecting the nerve wires together.

*Inquiry: How much longer until I am 100% functional Mistress?*

"About 2 or 3 hours for your programming to finish rebooting and you'll be ready to go. Although I just noticed, I don't know your name" Faye said as she stepped back to look at the newly constructed droid.

The armour plates looked like they belonged on a tank, yet they did little to enhance the lean artificial physique of the droid. Its narrow cybernetic eyes glowed a bright yellow upon its angular head, a grated vent in place of a mouth.

*Information: The designation my former master gave me was HK-44, Mistress*

"HK-44….I like it" Faye smiled as she continued to work on her newly reassembled HK unit.

* * *

 ***Planet: Moraband**

The ancient birthplace of the Sith knights. A dark and barren world befitting the lords and ladies of the dark side. The only things left standing after the centuries of the absence that the Sith left were the ruins of their temples and fortresses.

Grizzly reminders of the time when the Sith ruled the galaxy.

But were brought crumbling down by the Jedi order and the grand republic.

However, one structure was different than the others. Unlike the ruins, it looked brand new, a black obsidian structure, an obelisk protruding from the main structure which resembled a very short and wide pyramid.

Within the hallways of the structure were smooth black hallways, black armoured clone guards with short red shoulder capes present at every corner, all holding blaster rifles. The sound of boots falling upon the ground echoed throughout the hallways.

A single figure walked through the halls.

A humanoid wearing a flowing black cape, on his chest he wore a black armoured chestplate. Upon his forearms and hands was the same black armour that the clones wore and his shins were encased in the same sturdy black armour. Unlike the clones his biceps and thighs lacked armour, yet hanging from his waist he wore a battle skirt.

Hanging from his belt was a very serpentine lightsaber. Unlike many sabers which had a mechanical design to them, this looked very fluid and organic.

This man's face however looked far from normal. He had a black Sith tattoo covering the entire right side of his face. He had no hair on the sides of his head, but a long ponytail was formed from the hair on the centre of his head.

His eyes were a faint glowing yellow, a trademark of a Sith lord.

However, the lower half of his face including his nose, mouth, chin and even his neck were encased in a specialized breathing apparatus. Every few minutes the apparatus would let off two jets of concentrated steam.

This human Sith was Darth Viculus, one of the few apprentices of Darth Sidious. His presence gave off an air of arrogance and pride, his preverbal nose raised above everyone he saw as beneath him.

As he walked through the hallways with his hands clasped behind his back, he sensed something in the force.

An intent of sorts.

A Bloodlust.

When Viculus turned a corner his eyes widened as the black hallway lit up red, as the blood red beam of a Lightsaber descended upon him. The Sith Lord willed his Lightsaber to his hand, where it was ignited and deflected the descending blade.

In a few flashes of red and sparks, the hallway was lit up bright red as the Sith Lord blocked and defended himself from his attacker as the Clones stood still. Taking a leap backwards, Viculus scowled at his attacker and deactivated his Lightsaber.

" _One of these days I will kill you"_ Viculus spoke in a deep voice, altered by the apparatus covering his face. His tone was articulate and held the accent of an upper-class aristocrat.

"When that happens, it will be a glorious day, Brother" his attacker replied with a gleeful tone.

The Sith Lord's attacker was one of the only 4 creatures alive that wouldn't receive his full wrath upon attacking him. It was none other than his fellow Sith Lord, the third and final apprentice of Darth Sidious.

Darth Talex.

Talex wore the same black Sith armour that Viculus wore, with the exception of his gauntlets. Unlike Viculus, Talex was not a human and his fingers were more like claws, because of this his gauntlets had clawed fingers, accented by a silver trim that stood out against the black armour plates.

The Lightsaber he held wasn't encased in metal like other Lightsabers, it was instead encased in a hollowed out Rancor's tooth. A keepsake from a previous kill. Unlike most Force users he had a Blaster pistol holstered on the right side of his belt.

Talex's eyes were not only Yellow as a Sith Lord's would be, but his iris' were slitted like a reptile. His skin was an unnaturally pale shade of white, and his mouth was full of razor sharp teeth. Even more unsettling, his lips looked like they had unnaturally cracked open like the floor of a dried-up riverbed.

The Sith Lord's black hair was long, reaching the back of his shoulders. But upon closer inspection one would realize it wasn't hair running from his head. The Sith Lord had what looked like hundreds of long, black, spider's legs protruding from his head, every one of them moving individually.

Talex was a member of a people known as Svivareks, a malevolent and hateful species of humanoids that had long since went endangered after a two-hundred-year war against the republic.

It was likely that Talex was one of the few remaining members of his species. He was especially rare as Svivareks for the most part are almost never force sensitive to the point of becoming a Force user.

" _Why must you attack me at every turn? Lord Sidious would not be pleased"_ Viculus scowled, followed by a blast of steam as he clipped his Lightsaber to his belt.

Talex cackled, flicking his long reptilian tongue across his rows of razor sharp teeth.

"Your reflexes haven't dulled yet Brother. It is my duty to keep you on your toes" Talex chuckled as he clipped his Lightsaber onto his shoulder instead of his belt.

" _Lord Sidious is expecting us…. come"_ Viculus huffed with a scowl as he began to walk down the hall. Talex snickering as he walked besides his fellow Sith lord.

"I should have expected as much. Your passive aggressiveness has always been fun to observe, brother" Talex smiled. Even his walking was twisted as he held his hands behind his back and his spine hunched over. Every one of his long strides counted for two of Viculus'.

" _Keep pushing me Talex…you won't like the results"_ Viculus replied, his voice altered by the apparatus covering his face.

"Oh, I believe I will. After all, without Brother Maul and the little one here…you are all I have to play with" Talex grinned, running his tongue over his teeth.

The two Sith lords continued to make their way to their destination. After a long and uncomfortable (For Viculus) ride in the elevator, they finally reached the throne room.

The throne room was just as grand and spectacular as one would imagine it to be; a long black marble hallway stretching into a huge central chamber, red ancient Sith inscriptions upon the columns holding the room up.

Stood to attention were about 10 to 15 Sith Acolytes on each side of the room, stood in a straight line. Between those Acolytes, every 5 or 6 feet stood a red armoured guard, about 5 or 6 total, wielding long blaster rifles.

The two Sith lords confidently strode down the hallway, past the Acolytes and the guards. They had walked down this hallway many, many times. Once they came to the end they were met with a large flight of stairs, which they quickly ascended, Talex walking up 2 steps at a time with his long strides.

Once they came to the top of the flight, they were met with the back of a large black throne. Talex and Viculus dropped to one knee, their heads down.

" _What is Thy bidding…My Master?"_

"What is Thy bidding…My Master?"

The two Sith lords spoke the sentence in perfect synch. A hiss of steam following Viculus' sentence, and Talex for the first time in the last hour dropping his smile.

The throne slowly turned around, to reveal their master, a man dressed head to toe in pitch black robes. His yellow eyes glowing underneath his hood, and his pale white, wrinkled hands clutching the edges of his throne.

"I have had a vision" came the deep sepulchral voice of their master.

"Of what, my master?" Talex asked, his head still bowed.

"The Republic knows of the installation on Alderaan. Even now they send reinforcements to aid the Jedi in their defence of the royal city" Sidious replied, his words flowing with the elegance of a Dark lord of the Sith.

" _There is no conceivable way they can succeed, Master. Our forces on the planet outnumber the meagre forces of Alderaan, the republic cannot possibly know of our numbers in order to send substantial reinforcements"_ Viculus replied with the eloquence and authority befitting his rank.

"Indeed, but the presence of a Republic battle cruiser will cause casualties to our forces that will make holding the planet…difficult" the Dark Lord replied.

"Allow me to intercept them, My Lord. I will take reinforcements of my own to Alderaan, and destroy them en route. They won't stand a chance" Talex suggested, his excited tone leaking through his words. Practically drooling at the promise of death, destruction and war.

"Talex…your unhindered bloodlust would make the Sith Lords of old proud" Sidious smiled, Talex was practically shaking with excitement.

"You will take 3 of our fastest warships to Alderaan. Outfit them with whoever you see fit" Sidious smiled.

"It will be done, Master" Talex giggled with glee, flexing his clawed gauntlets back and forth.

"Viculus, you will travel to the outer rim…tell the Generals to prepare the armies, tell the Admirals to prepare the fleets. The return of the Sith has come" Sidious grinned.

" _It will be done, Master"_ Viculus replied with a hiss of steam.

"For Generations, the Jedi and the Republic have sat by, revelling in their peace. Sleeping safe in the knowledge that the Sith had died out…that the teachings of the Dark Side had faded away into obscure memory" Sidious motioned his Apprentices to stand.

Talex and Viculus stood to their full height, their glowing yellow eyes mirroring their master's.

"The Sith have waited in darkness…gaining back our strength for this day. For the day that we reclaim the universe that was stolen from us, by the arrogant Jedi and their foolish, narrow minded view of the force" Sidious continued, raising his voice, calling to attention the Acolytes and guards below.

"Do what must be done Lord Talex, do not hesitate, show them no mercy" Sidious smiled.

Talex let out a drawn-out snarl, drool and steam erupting from his mouth.

"Gather our legions, Lord Viculus. Spread my words to the corners of the galaxy that will soon be ours once again"

Viculus let out a concentrated huff of steam as he nodded.

"Go my children of the Dark Side…remind the Jedi of what comes to those who oppose the Sith…remind them of the power of the Dark Side" Sidious ended his sentence with a grin.

The Sith Acolytes raised their Lightsabers to the air and activated them in synch.

The Guards raised their rifles and activated the Lightsaber Bayonets which glowed bright red.

Viculus and Talex looked to each other before igniting their Lightsabers. The light of their blades flushing light against the face of their master.

The wrinkled, old flesh of Darth Sidious, the Supreme Dark Lord of the Sith.

The Old Sith lord let out a chuckle which soon evolved into a long and hellish cackle that filled the chambers. A cackle that belonged in the depths of the deepest hell imaginable.

* * *

 **Ok, what did you all think?**

 **I know it took me a while to get this one out, OMG shocker Dakkaman777 takes a while to upload stories (Sarcasm overload).**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter, let me know exactly what you thought of this latest chapter.**

 **Now once again for you guys that need visual aid, the ARC troopers are basically a mix of Republic troopers from the Old Republic cinematic trailers and the ARC troopers from the 2003 animated clone wars.**

 **The Sith Acolytes also look like the Acolytes from the Old Republic trailers.**

 **ALSO – be sure to check out ma man Aspiringactor's SW prequel Redo, Star Wars: The Malevolent Darkness. He's an awesome writer and pretty much the guy that got me started writing stories.**

 **Please leave a review AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MAKE IT LENGTHY AS POSSIBLE! Ok? You have no idea what it's like putting precious time into writing a chapter like this and all I get for criticism or praise is 'Good job…more plez' trust me….it pisses me off to no end.**

 **So please…lengthy reviews please.**


End file.
